CVE-2026-59995: CWE-23 Relative Path Traversal in OpenBSD OpenSSH
sftp in OpenSSH before 10.4 does not properly constrain the location of downloaded files when "sftp server:/path ." is used with an attacker-controlled server.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
CVE-2026-59995 is a CWE-23 relative path traversal vulnerability in OpenSSH's sftp client before version 10.4. The issue arises when the sftp client downloads files using the syntax "sftp server:/path ." from an attacker-controlled server. The client fails to properly constrain the destination location of downloaded files, which could lead to files being saved outside the expected directory structure.
Potential Impact
This vulnerability could allow an attacker controlling the sftp server to cause the client to write files to arbitrary locations on the client system. The CVSS score of 4.2 reflects a medium severity with low confidentiality impact, limited integrity impact, and low availability impact. There are no known exploits in the wild at this time.
Mitigation Recommendations
No official patch or remediation level has been published yet. Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the OpenBSD or OpenSSH vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until a fix is available, users should exercise caution when downloading files from untrusted sftp servers and avoid using the vulnerable command syntax with untrusted sources.
CVE-2026-59995: CWE-23 Relative Path Traversal in OpenBSD OpenSSH
Description
sftp in OpenSSH before 10.4 does not properly constrain the location of downloaded files when "sftp server:/path ." is used with an attacker-controlled server.
CVSS v3.1
Score 4.2medium
Affected software
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Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
CVE-2026-59995 is a CWE-23 relative path traversal vulnerability in OpenSSH's sftp client before version 10.4. The issue arises when the sftp client downloads files using the syntax "sftp server:/path ." from an attacker-controlled server. The client fails to properly constrain the destination location of downloaded files, which could lead to files being saved outside the expected directory structure.
Potential Impact
This vulnerability could allow an attacker controlling the sftp server to cause the client to write files to arbitrary locations on the client system. The CVSS score of 4.2 reflects a medium severity with low confidentiality impact, limited integrity impact, and low availability impact. There are no known exploits in the wild at this time.
Mitigation Recommendations
No official patch or remediation level has been published yet. Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the OpenBSD or OpenSSH vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until a fix is available, users should exercise caution when downloading files from untrusted sftp servers and avoid using the vulnerable command syntax with untrusted sources.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- mitre
- Date Reserved
- 2026-07-08T00:04:49.591Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
Threat ID: 6a4da0cec9d9e3dbe333a496
Added to database: 07/08/2026, 00:58:54 UTC
Last enriched: 07/15/2026, 12:19:18 UTC
Last updated: 08/19/2026, 22:52:14 UTC
Views: 3473
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