CVE-2026-125113xrootd path traversal
CVE-2026-125113 is a path traversal in xrootd, rated medium (5.3 on CVSS 3.1).
Why this priority: A public proof of concept exists and exploitation can be automated.
Published · Updated · NVD status: Received
What it is
A file name from the request can climb out of the intended folder with sequences like ../, reaching files the service never meant to expose. The software trusts input it should check, so crafted values reach code that assumes they are well formed.
How it is reached
An attacker can exploit it over the network, without an account, and nobody has to click anything.
What an attacker gains
The direct impact is limited: partial access to data or a partial outage. In practice, this kind of flaw lets an attacker read or write files outside the folders the service meant to expose.
Is it being exploited?
CISA's SSVC assessment notes a public proof of concept. It can be exploited automatically, at scale. EPSS estimates a 0.34% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 28% of scored CVEs.
What to do
- Upgrade xrootd to 5.9.2 or later.
- Until it is patched, keep it off the internet or behind a VPN, allowlist or authenticating proxy.
Description from NVD
The XRootD project provides a high-performance, fault-tolerant, and secure solution for handling large amounts of data distributed across multiple storage resources. Prior to version 5.9.2, XRootD's rpCheck() function in src/XrdXrootd/XrdXrootdXeq.cc rejects a parent-directory component only when two dots are followed by a slash and does not reject a terminal two-dot component. An unauthenticated attacker can append /.. to an exported path in xrdfs ls or an HTTP PROPFIND request, bypass the all.export directory scope, and cause directory and filename enumeration in the parent directory under oss.localroot. The demonstrated vector does not permit file download or disclose file contents. This issue is fixed in version 5.9.2.
What this means for your architecture.
A CVE names a product. Whether it matters depends on where that product sits in your systems: what reaches it, which trust boundary it guards and what it can reach once compromised. Veriom maps your components, their relationships and your trust boundaries from your code, cloud and delivery evidence, so you can see where a component like this sits. The radar itself does not look at your systems.
Components it touches
- File storage the service can read or write. The flaw sits between the application and the file system it can reach.
- Interfaces that accept external input. The flaw sits at the input boundary of the affected component.
Trust boundaries in play
- Internet-facing entry points. No account is needed. Any instance reachable from outside your perimeter, through a load balancer, gateway, VPN or exposed admin port, is in scope.
- Between the application and the file system it can reach. An attacker who crosses it can read or write files outside the folders the service meant to expose.
- At the input boundary of the affected component. An attacker who crosses it can drive the component into behaviour its authors did not intend.
Questions to answer about your own systems
- Where does xrootd run in your systems, and at which version?
- Which of those instances can be reached from the internet or partner networks?
- What can it reach once compromised: which data stores, secrets and services?
Sources
- CVE records and CVSS scores from the NVD CVE API. This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.
- Exploitation status from CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
- Exploit likelihood from FIRST’s Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), refreshed daily.
- Explanations are written by Veriom from fixed templates over each record’s data, not by a person reviewing each CVE. Descriptions are quoted from the records as published.