CVE-2026-79985: CWE-22 Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') in Apache Software Foundation Apache Camel
Description
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in Apache Camel SMB component. This issue affects Apache Camel: from 4.2.0 before 4.18.5, from 4.19.0 before 4.22.1. The Camel remote-file consumers poll a directory on a remote server and build the absolute remote path of each file by concatenating the configured directory with the file name reported in the server's directory listing. That concatenation (FtpUtils.absoluteFilePath and GenericFileConsumer) applied no lexical normalization and no check that the result stayed inside the directory being polled, and the resulting path became the operand for every subsequent remote operation on the file: retrieval (FtpOperations.retrieveFile / SftpOperations, reached from GenericFileConsumer where the retrieve name is taken verbatim from GenericFile.getAbsoluteFilePath), deletion when delete=true (GenericFileDeleteProcessStrategy), and renaming when move, preMove, moveFailed or readLock=rename is configured (GenericFileProcessStrategySupport and GenericFileRenameExclusiveReadLockStrategy). Neither isValidFile nor isMatched performed any containment check. A listing entry that is not a single path segment therefore resolved to a path outside the configured polling directory, causing Camel to read, delete or rename files outside it using the endpoint's own credentials. A listing name is not route-controlled data. It is supplied by the remote server, and the FTP control channel carries no integrity protection at all, so an on-path attacker can rewrite a LIST response without holding any credentials; a compromised, malicious or multi-tenant server, or a server backed by a virtual filesystem, can emit such a name directly. Retrieval is reachable in a default consumer configuration, since the remote consumers download every listed file; deletion and renaming additionally require one of the disposition options above, all of which are common. Escape from the directory Camel was configured to poll is unconditional, while escape from the server's own account boundary additionally depends on whether that server confines the account. The jailStartingDirectory option, which is documented as restricting Camel to the starting directory and is enabled by default, governed producer writes and, since the localWorkDirectory containment work, consumer downloads to the local work directory - but it did not constrain this remote operand, so its name and description claimed a boundary that was not enforced here. The same entry point had already been recognised on the local side: the localWorkDirectory download path was constrained so that a remote file name containing parent-directory segments could not resolve outside the local work directory. The remote operand was the remaining half of that surface. This artifact provides the smb scheme. Its consumer walks the share listing on its own rather than through RemoteFileConsumer, skipping only the exact "." and ".." entries, so a name carrying traversal segments in any other form was concatenated unchecked. Reaching it requires a server that emits a listing name which is not a single path segment, which a conforming SMB2 implementation does not do; the exposure was corrected on the same basis as the other remote-file consumers rather than from a demonstrated proof of concept against this scheme. Upgrade to Apache Camel 4.23.0, which fixes the issue. Users on the 4.22.x releases stream should upgrade to 4.22.1. Users on the 4.18.x LTS releases stream should upgrade to 4.18.5. The 4.14.x stream reached end of life and does not receive this fix; users on it should move to a supported releases stream.
CVSS v3.1
Score 7.4high
Affected software
Apache Software Foundation
Apache Camel
pkg:maven/Apache Software Foundation/org.apache.camel:camel-smbRun on your own infrastructure? Check whether these packages are installed with threat-finder — our free open-source scanner.
Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
Apache Camel's remote-file consumers build absolute remote file paths by concatenating the configured directory with file names from the server's directory listing without lexical normalization or containment checks. This allows a path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22) where a listing entry containing traversal segments can cause Camel to read, delete, or rename files outside the configured polling directory using the endpoint's credentials. The vulnerability affects versions >=4.2.0 <4.18.5 and >=4.19.0 <4.22.1. The smb scheme consumer is also affected due to similar unchecked concatenation. The vulnerability is exploitable by an attacker who can manipulate the directory listing, such as a compromised or malicious server or an on-path attacker rewriting FTP LIST responses. The issue is fixed in Apache Camel 4.18.5, 4.22.1, and 4.23.0.
Potential Impact
An attacker controlling or able to manipulate the remote server's directory listing can cause Apache Camel to access files outside the intended directory, potentially reading, deleting, or renaming arbitrary files on the remote server with the endpoint's credentials. This can lead to unauthorized data access and modification. The vulnerability does not require authentication and can be exploited remotely over the network. The severity is high with a CVSS 3.1 score of 7.4, reflecting high confidentiality and integrity impact but no availability impact.
Mitigation Recommendations
Upgrade Apache Camel to version 4.18.5 if using the 4.18.x LTS stream, to 4.22.1 if using the 4.22.x stream, or to 4.23.0 for the latest release. Users on unsupported versions such as 4.14.x should migrate to a supported release stream. No other mitigations are documented; applying the official fixed versions is required to remediate this vulnerability.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- apache
- Date Reserved
- 2026-08-25T16:20:16.788Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
Threat ID: 6ad5f2162cdf04f656419db8
Added to database: 10/19/2026, 10:33:58 UTC
Last enriched: 10/19/2026, 10:48:17 UTC
Last updated: 10/19/2026, 19:06:46 UTC
Views: 12
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