CVE-2026-72814: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') in actix actix-web
The actix-files crate (actix_files) before version 0.6.10 contains an information exposure vulnerability. When a non-existing folder is passed as the serve_from argument to Files::new(), the mount path defaults to an empty path; the service then joins the request path with this empty path and canonicalizes it, causing Rust to resolve it as a relative path. As a result, an attacker can request paths that resolve relative to the application's working directory and access unintended files.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
CVE-2026-72814 is a path traversal vulnerability in the actix-files crate prior to version 0.6.10. The issue occurs because when a non-existent folder is specified as the serve_from argument in Files::new(), the mount path defaults to an empty path. The service then joins the request path with this empty path and canonicalizes it, which Rust resolves as a relative path. This behavior enables an attacker to craft requests that access files relative to the application's working directory, potentially exposing sensitive information.
Potential Impact
An attacker can exploit this vulnerability to access files outside the intended directory served by actix-web, leading to information disclosure. The vulnerability does not require privileges or user interaction and has a medium severity with a CVSS 4.0 score of 6.3.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until a fix is available, avoid passing non-existing folders as the serve_from argument to Files::new() to prevent the mount path from defaulting to empty. Monitor official actix-web advisories for updates and patches addressing this issue.
CVE-2026-72814: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') in actix actix-web
Description
The actix-files crate (actix_files) before version 0.6.10 contains an information exposure vulnerability. When a non-existing folder is passed as the serve_from argument to Files::new(), the mount path defaults to an empty path; the service then joins the request path with this empty path and canonicalizes it, causing Rust to resolve it as a relative path. As a result, an attacker can request paths that resolve relative to the application's working directory and access unintended files.
CVSS v4.0
Score 6.3medium
Affected software
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AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
CVE-2026-72814 is a path traversal vulnerability in the actix-files crate prior to version 0.6.10. The issue occurs because when a non-existent folder is specified as the serve_from argument in Files::new(), the mount path defaults to an empty path. The service then joins the request path with this empty path and canonicalizes it, which Rust resolves as a relative path. This behavior enables an attacker to craft requests that access files relative to the application's working directory, potentially exposing sensitive information.
Potential Impact
An attacker can exploit this vulnerability to access files outside the intended directory served by actix-web, leading to information disclosure. The vulnerability does not require privileges or user interaction and has a medium severity with a CVSS 4.0 score of 6.3.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until a fix is available, avoid passing non-existing folders as the serve_from argument to Files::new() to prevent the mount path from defaulting to empty. Monitor official actix-web advisories for updates and patches addressing this issue.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- VulnCheck
- Date Reserved
- 2026-08-10T15:12:16.754Z
- Cvss Version
- 4.0
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
Threat ID: 6a7f0282bf8831d539fec760
Added to database: 08/14/2026, 11:56:50 UTC
Last enriched: 08/14/2026, 12:13:37 UTC
Last updated: 08/15/2026, 00:33:37 UTC
Views: 4
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