CVE-2026-25129
PsySH has Local Privilege Escalation via CWD .psysh.php auto-load
Description
PsySH is a runtime developer console, interactive debugger, and REPL for PHP. Prior to versions 0.11.23 and 0.12.19, PsySH automatically loads and executes a `.psysh.php` file from the Current Working Directory (CWD) on startup. If an attacker can write to a directory that a victim later uses as their CWD when launching PsySH, the attacker can trigger arbitrary code execution in the victim's context. When the victim runs PsySH with elevated privileges (e.g., root), this results in local privilege escalation. This is a CWD configuration poisoning issue leading to arbitrary code execution in the victim user’s context. If a privileged user (e.g., root, a CI runner, or an ops/debug account) launches PsySH with CWD set to an attacker-writable directory containing a malicious `.psysh.php`, the attacker can execute commands with that privileged user’s permissions, resulting in local privilege escalation. Downstream consumers that embed PsySH inherit this risk. For example, Laravel Tinker (`php artisan tinker`) uses PsySH. If a privileged user runs Tinker while their shell is in an attacker-writable directory, the `.psysh.php` auto-load behavior can be abused in the same way to execute attacker-controlled code under the victim’s privileges. Versions 0.11.23 and 0.12.19 patch the issue.
INFO
Published Date :
Jan. 30, 2026, 9:15 p.m.
Last Modified :
Feb. 27, 2026, 8:36 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
[email protected]
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | MEDIUM | [email protected] | ||||
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | [email protected] |
Solution
- Update PsySH to version 0.11.23 or later.
- Update PsySH to version 0.12.19 or later.
- Ensure CWD is not attacker-writable.
- Avoid running PsySH with elevated privileges.
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-2026-25129.
| URL | Resource |
|---|---|
| https://github.com/bobthecow/psysh/releases/tag/v0.11.23 | Product Release Notes |
| https://github.com/bobthecow/psysh/releases/tag/v0.12.19 | Product Release Notes |
| https://github.com/bobthecow/psysh/security/advisories/GHSA-4486-gxhx-5mg7 | Exploit Vendor Advisory |
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-25129 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-2026-25129
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-2026-25129 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-25129 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.
-
Initial Analysis by [email protected]
Feb. 27, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:a:psysh:psysh:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (excluding) 0.11.23 *cpe:2.3:a:psysh:psysh:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 0.12.0 up to (excluding) 0.12.19 Added Reference Type GitHub, Inc.: https://github.com/bobthecow/psysh/releases/tag/v0.11.23 Types: Product, Release Notes Added Reference Type GitHub, Inc.: https://github.com/bobthecow/psysh/releases/tag/v0.12.19 Types: Product, Release Notes Added Reference Type GitHub, Inc.: https://github.com/bobthecow/psysh/security/advisories/GHSA-4486-gxhx-5mg7 Types: Exploit, Vendor Advisory -
New CVE Received by [email protected]
Jan. 30, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description PsySH is a runtime developer console, interactive debugger, and REPL for PHP. Prior to versions 0.11.23 and 0.12.19, PsySH automatically loads and executes a `.psysh.php` file from the Current Working Directory (CWD) on startup. If an attacker can write to a directory that a victim later uses as their CWD when launching PsySH, the attacker can trigger arbitrary code execution in the victim's context. When the victim runs PsySH with elevated privileges (e.g., root), this results in local privilege escalation. This is a CWD configuration poisoning issue leading to arbitrary code execution in the victim user’s context. If a privileged user (e.g., root, a CI runner, or an ops/debug account) launches PsySH with CWD set to an attacker-writable directory containing a malicious `.psysh.php`, the attacker can execute commands with that privileged user’s permissions, resulting in local privilege escalation. Downstream consumers that embed PsySH inherit this risk. For example, Laravel Tinker (`php artisan tinker`) uses PsySH. If a privileged user runs Tinker while their shell is in an attacker-writable directory, the `.psysh.php` auto-load behavior can be abused in the same way to execute attacker-controlled code under the victim’s privileges. Versions 0.11.23 and 0.12.19 patch the issue. Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Added CWE CWE-427 Added Reference https://github.com/bobthecow/psysh/releases/tag/v0.11.23 Added Reference https://github.com/bobthecow/psysh/releases/tag/v0.12.19 Added Reference https://github.com/bobthecow/psysh/security/advisories/GHSA-4486-gxhx-5mg7