Axel Download Accelerator 2.17.14 and earlier performs URL percent-decoding (http_decode()) on the output filename
Affects axelSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.0 High.
Data as of 28 Oct 2026, 13:29 UTC
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:N/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:NExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 28 Oct 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.
What to do
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
GitHubaxel-download-accelerator/axelpkg:github/axel-download-accelerator/axelOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
AI-suggested
Until a fix is available, users should avoid downloading files from untrusted sources using affected versions and consider running Axel in restricted environments or with limited permissions to reduce potential impact.
Description
Axel Download Accelerator versions 2.17.14 and earlier contain a directory traversal vulnerability due to improper URL percent-decoding of the output filename. This allows attackers to craft URLs with encoded sequences that traverse directories, causing the program to write downloaded files to arbitrary filesystem locations relative to the current working directory.
References
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-118485 (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/axel-download-accelerator/axel/issues/477 (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/axel-download-accelerator/axel/pull/483/changes/4e76e1a1dd1c4ea11b445e2c45e4ee257c76314e (opens in a new tab)
- advisories.orangecyberdefense.com/advisories/167 (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/axel-download-accelerator/axel/milestone/22 (opens in a new tab)