VulnerabilityPublished 25 Feb 2026

CVE-2026-26984: aces Loris · Path Traversal

Affects aces LorisSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 8.7 High : upgrade to 27.0.2 or 26.0.5 soon.

Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 11:52 UTC

CVSS 3.0 base score

8.7High

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.7% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 55% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 27.0.2, 26.0.5

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: High
User Interaction: None
Scope: Changed
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: High: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide significant (e.g., administrative) control over the vulnerable component that could affect component-wide settings and files.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Changed: An exploited vulnerability can affect resources beyond the security scope managed by the security authority of the vulnerable component. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are different and managed by different security authorities.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: High: There is a total loss of integrity, or a complete loss of protection. For example, the attacker is able to modify any/all files protected by the impacted component. Alternatively, only some files can be modified, but malicious modification would present a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 25 Feb 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: 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 30 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade Loris to 27.0.2 or 26.0.5; aces/Loris to 26.0.5.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
acesLoris	Affected >=27.0.0 <27.0.2	Fixed in 27.0.2
acesLoris	Affected <26.0.5	Fixed in 26.0.5
GitHubaces/Loris`pkg:github/aces/Loris`Other threats	Affected <26.0.5	Fixed in 26.0.5

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

Immediately upgrade LORIS installations to versions 26.0.5 or later, 27.0.2 or later, or 28.0.0 or later as applicable to ensure the vulnerability is patched.
If upgrading is not immediately feasible, disable the media module to prevent file uploads through the vulnerable component.
Enforce strict access controls and least privilege principles to limit the number of users with permissions to upload files or manage media.
Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) to reduce the risk of credential compromise for privileged users.
Monitor server file systems for unauthorized file creations or modifications, especially outside expected directories.
Conduct regular audits of user privileges and review logs for suspicious activity related to file uploads.
Harden server configurations to enforce read-only permissions where possible, limiting the ability to write files and execute code.
Employ network segmentation and application-layer firewalls to restrict access to LORIS servers.
Educate users with upload privileges about the risks and signs of compromise.
Prepare incident response plans specific to potential RCE scenarios involving LORIS.

Description

LORIS (Longitudinal Online Research and Imaging System) is a self-hosted web application that provides data- and project-management for neuroimaging research. Prior to versions 26.0.5, 27.0.2, and 28.0.0, an authenticated user with sufficient privileges can exploit a path traversal vulnerability to upload a malicious file to an arbitrary location on the server. Once uploaded, the file can be used to achieve remote code execution (RCE). An attacker must be authenticated and have the appropriate permissions to exploit this issue. If the server is configured as read-only, remote code execution (RCE) is not possible; however, the malicious file upload may still be achievable. This problem is fixed in LORIS v26.0.5 and above, v27.0.2 and above, and v28.0.0 and above. As a workaround, LORIS administrators can disable the media module if it is not being used.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2026-26984 is the potential for attackers to achieve remote code execution on servers running vulnerable versions of LORIS. This can lead to full compromise of the affected system, unauthorized access to sensitive neuroimaging research data, and disruption of research operations. Confidentiality is severely impacted as attackers can access or exfiltrate sensitive data. Integrity is also compromised since attackers can modify or replace files, potentially injecting malicious code or altering research data. Availability impact is limited unless attackers use RCE to disrupt services. Since exploitation requires authenticated access with sufficient privileges, the risk is elevated in environments where user credentials are weak, reused, or compromised. Organizations relying on LORIS for critical research data management face risks of data breaches, intellectual property theft, and operational downtime. The vulnerability also poses reputational risks and potential regulatory compliance issues related to data protection.

CWE-22Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory (Path Traversal) (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessLikelihood of exploit: HighCWE Top 25 (2025): #6OWASP Top 10 A01:2025: Broken Access Control (opens in a new tab)
The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.
Implementation · Input Validation
Assume all input is malicious. Use an "accept known good" input validation strategy, i.e., use a list of acceptable inputs that strictly conform to specifications. Reject any input that does not strictly conform to specifications, or transform it into something that does.
Architecture and Design
For any security checks that are performed on the client side, ensure that these checks are duplicated on the server side, in order to avoid CWE-602. Attackers can bypass the client-side checks by modifying values after the checks have been performed, or by changing the client to remove the client-side checks…
Implementation · Input Validation
Inputs should be decoded and canonicalized to the application's current internal representation before being validated (CWE-180). Make sure that the application does not decode the same input twice (CWE-174).
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Authorization (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V12.3.1 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Path Traversal (opens in a new tab)
Using Slashes and URL Encoding Combined to Bypass Validation Logic (opens in a new tab)
Manipulating Web Input to File System Calls (opens in a new tab)
Using Escaped Slashes in Alternate Encoding (opens in a new tab)
Using Slashes in Alternate Encoding (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).
CWE-434Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessLikelihood of exploit: MediumCWE Top 25 (2025): #12OWASP Top 10 A06:2025: Insecure Design (opens in a new tab)
The product allows the upload or transfer of dangerous file types that are automatically processed within its environment.
Architecture and Design
Generate a new, unique filename for an uploaded file instead of using the user-supplied filename, so that no external input is used at all.
Architecture and Design · Enforcement by Conversion
When the set of acceptable objects, such as filenames or URLs, is limited or known, create a mapping from a set of fixed input values (such as numeric IDs) to the actual filenames or URLs, and reject all other inputs.
Architecture and Design
Consider storing the uploaded files outside of the web document root entirely. Then, use other mechanisms to deliver the files dynamically.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Server Side Request Forgery Prevention (opens in a new tab)
Web Service Security (opens in a new tab)
Third Party Javascript Management (opens in a new tab)
File Upload (opens in a new tab)
Secure Design Principles (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V12.5.2 (opens in a new tab)
V13.1.5 (opens in a new tab)
V12.2.1 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Accessing Functionality Not Properly Constrained by ACLs (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 26 Feb 2026, 21:59 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-22, CWE-434

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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