CVE-2026-39973: iBotPeaches Apktool · Path Traversal
Affects iBotPeaches ApktoolSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.1 High : upgrade to 3.0.2 soon.
Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 11:52 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 7% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
- Patch
- Available – fixed in 3.0.2
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:NExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 21 Apr 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: evidence found.
Public exploit code: GitHub proofs of concept
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), GitHub proofs of concept, the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 30 Oct 2026.
What to do
Upgrade Apktool and ibotpeaches/Apktool to 3.0.2.
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| iBotPeachesApktool | Affected
| Fixed in
|
GitHubibotpeaches/Apktoolpkg:github/ibotpeaches/ApktoolOther 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
Users should upgrade to Apktool version 3.0.2 or later, where the path traversal vulnerability is fixed by reintroducing the path sanitization function. Until upgrading, avoid decoding untrusted APK files with vulnerable versions 3.0.0 and 3.0.1. Patch status is confirmed by the vendor's fix in version 3.0.2. No additional mitigations are indicated by the vendor advisory.
Description
Apktool is a tool for reverse engineering Android APK files. In versions 3.0.0 and 3.0.1, a path traversal vulnerability in `brut/androlib/res/decoder/ResFileDecoder.java` allows a maliciously crafted APK to write arbitrary files to the filesystem during standard decoding (`apktool d`). This is a security regression introduced in commit e10a045 (PR #4041, December 12, 2025), which removed the `BrutIO.sanitizePath()` call that previously prevented path traversal in resource file output paths. An attacker can embed `../` sequences in the `resources.arsc` Type String Pool to escape the output directory and write files to arbitrary locations, including `~/.ssh/config`, `~/.bashrc`, or Windows Startup folders, escalating to RCE. The fix in version 3.0.2 re-introduces `BrutIO.sanitizePath()` in `ResFileDecoder.java` before file write operations.
References
- github.com/iBotPeaches/Apktool/security/advisories/GHSA-m8mh-x359-vm8m (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/iBotPeaches/Apktool/pull/4041 (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/iBotPeaches/Apktool/commit/e10a0450c7afcd9462c0b76bcbff0e7428b92bdd (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/iBotPeaches/Apktool/releases/tag/v3.0.2 (opens in a new tab)