CVE-2026-26064
calibre: Path Traversal Vulnerability Enables Arbitrary File Write and Remote Code Execution
Description
calibre is a cross-platform e-book manager for viewing, converting, editing, and cataloging e-books. Versions 9.2.1 and below contain a Path Traversal vulnerability that allows arbitrary file writes anywhere the user has write permissions. On Windows, this leads to Remote Code Execution by writing a payload to the Startup folder, which executes on next login. Function extract_pictures only checks startswith('Pictures'), and does not sanitize '..' sequences. calibre's own ZipFile.extractall() in utils/zipfile.py does sanitize '..' via _get_targetpath(), but extract_pictures() bypasses this by using manual zf.read() + open(). This issue has been fixed in version 9.3.0.
INFO
Published Date :
Feb. 20, 2026, 2:16 a.m.
Last Modified :
Feb. 20, 2026, 4:53 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
[email protected]
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | [email protected] | ||||
| CVSS 4.0 | CRITICAL | [email protected] |
Solution
- Update Calibre to version 9.3.0 or later.
- Verify file write permissions and remove malicious files.
- Review security configurations for sensitive directories.
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-2026-26064.
| URL | Resource |
|---|---|
| https://github.com/kovidgoyal/calibre/commit/e1b5f9b45a5e8fa96c136963ad9a1d35e6adac62 | Patch |
| https://github.com/kovidgoyal/calibre/security/advisories/GHSA-72ch-3hqc-pgmp | 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-2026-26064 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-2026-26064
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-2026-26064 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
-
Daily CyberSecurity
Poisoned Pages: Critical Calibre Path Traversal Flaws Expose Readers to RCE
Calibre, the highly popular, cross-platform e-book manager utilized by readers worldwide to view, convert, edit, and catalog their digital libraries, is facing a severe security alert. Two critical vu ... Read more
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-26064 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. 20, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CVSS V3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:a:calibre-ebook:calibre:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (excluding) 9.3.0 Added Reference Type GitHub, Inc.: https://github.com/kovidgoyal/calibre/commit/e1b5f9b45a5e8fa96c136963ad9a1d35e6adac62 Types: Patch Added Reference Type GitHub, Inc.: https://github.com/kovidgoyal/calibre/security/advisories/GHSA-72ch-3hqc-pgmp Types: Exploit, Vendor Advisory -
New CVE Received by [email protected]
Feb. 20, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description calibre is a cross-platform e-book manager for viewing, converting, editing, and cataloging e-books. Versions 9.2.1 and below contain a Path Traversal vulnerability that allows arbitrary file writes anywhere the user has write permissions. On Windows, this leads to Remote Code Execution by writing a payload to the Startup folder, which executes on next login. Function extract_pictures only checks startswith('Pictures'), and does not sanitize '..' sequences. calibre's own ZipFile.extractall() in utils/zipfile.py does sanitize '..' via _get_targetpath(), but extract_pictures() bypasses this by using manual zf.read() + open(). This issue has been fixed in version 9.3.0. Added CVSS V4.0 AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H/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 CWE CWE-22 Added Reference https://github.com/kovidgoyal/calibre/commit/e1b5f9b45a5e8fa96c136963ad9a1d35e6adac62 Added Reference https://github.com/kovidgoyal/calibre/security/advisories/GHSA-72ch-3hqc-pgmp