CVE-2026-118485
Axel Download Accelerator Path Traversal via URL Filename Decoding
Description
Axel Download Accelerator 2.17.14 and earlier performs URL percent-decoding (http_decode()) on the output filename after the URL has been parsed and the filename component extracted. This allows an attacker to embed %2e%2e%2f (URL-encoded ../) sequences in the URL path. These sequences survive the URL parser intact (they contain no literal / characters) but are decoded into directory traversal sequences before the output file is opened for writing. As a result, a crafted URL can cause axel to write downloaded content to arbitrary filesystem paths relative to the current working directory.
INFO
Published Date :
Oct. 28, 2026, 12:17 p.m.
Last Modified :
Oct. 28, 2026, 12:17 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
Yes !
Source :
6064c9f1-42e5-4cc5-a67a-1636d7a9d3fd
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | 6064c9f1-42e5-4cc5-a67a-1636d7a9d3fd | ||||
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | MITRE-CVE | ||||
| CVSS 4.0 | HIGH | 6064c9f1-42e5-4cc5-a67a-1636d7a9d3fd | ||||
| CVSS 4.0 | HIGH | 6064c9f1-42e5-4cc5-a67a-1636d7a9d3fd |
Solution
- Update Axel to a fixed version.
- Validate all downloaded file paths.
- Sanitize user-supplied input for filenames.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2026-118485.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-118485 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-118485
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-118485 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-118485 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
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New CVE Received by 6064c9f1-42e5-4cc5-a67a-1636d7a9d3fd
Oct. 28, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description Axel Download Accelerator 2.17.14 and earlier performs URL percent-decoding (http_decode()) on the output filename after the URL has been parsed and the filename component extracted. This allows an attacker to embed %2e%2e%2f (URL-encoded ../) sequences in the URL path. These sequences survive the URL parser intact (they contain no literal / characters) but are decoded into directory traversal sequences before the output file is opened for writing. As a result, a crafted URL can cause axel to write downloaded content to arbitrary filesystem paths relative to the current working directory. Added CVSS V4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:N/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X Added CVSS V3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H Added CWE CWE-24 Added Affected New affected value received. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/118xxx/CVE-2026-118485.json">CVE-2026-118485</a> Added Reference https://advisories.orangecyberdefense.com/advisories/167 Added Reference https://github.com/axel-download-accelerator/axel/issues/477 Added Reference https://github.com/axel-download-accelerator/axel/milestone/22 Added Reference https://github.com/axel-download-accelerator/axel/pull/483/changes/4e76e1a1dd1c4ea11b445e2c45e4ee257c76314e