Axel Download Accelerator Path Traversal via URL Filename Decoding
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2026-118485 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | OCD |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2026-10-28 12:17:40 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-10-28 15:24:56 UTC |
| 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. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v4.0 7 HIGH from 6064c9f1-42e5-4cc5-a67a-1636d7a9d3fd
CVSS:4.0/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
Problem Types: CWE-24 | CWE-24 CWE-24 Path traversal: '../filedir'
| Version | Source | Type | Score | Severity | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.0 | 6064c9f1-42e5-4cc5-a67a-1636d7a9d3fd | Secondary | 7 | HIGH | CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:N/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/C... |
| 4.0 | CNA | CVSS | 7 | HIGH | CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:N/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N |
| 3.1 | 6064c9f1-42e5-4cc5-a67a-1636d7a9d3fd | Secondary | 8.1 | HIGH | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H |
| 3.1 | CNA | CVSS | 8.1 | HIGH | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H |
CVSS v4.0 Breakdown
Attack Vector
NetworkAttack Complexity
LowAttack Requirements
NonePrivileges Required
NoneUser Interaction
ActiveConfidentiality
NoneIntegrity
HighAvailability
HighSub Conf.
NoneSub Integrity
NoneSub Availability
NoneCVSS:4.0/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
CVSS v3.1 Breakdown
Attack Vector
NetworkAttack Complexity
LowPrivileges Required
NoneUser Interaction
RequiredScope
UnchangedConfidentiality
NoneIntegrity
HighAvailability
HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
Vendor Declared Affected Products
| Source | Vendor | Product | Version | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNA | Axel Download Accelerator | Axel | affected 2.17.14 git | Not specified |
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| github.com/axel-download-accelerator/axel/issues/477 | 6064c9f1-42e5-4cc5-a67a-1636d7a9d3fd | github.com | |
| github.com/axel-download-accelerator/axel/pull/483/changes/4e76e1a1dd1c4... | 6064c9f1-42e5-4cc5-a67a-1636d7a9d3fd | github.com | |
| advisories.orangecyberdefense.com/advisories/167 | 6064c9f1-42e5-4cc5-a67a-1636d7a9d3fd | advisories.orangecyberdefense.com | |
| github.com/axel-download-accelerator/axel/milestone/22 | 6064c9f1-42e5-4cc5-a67a-1636d7a9d3fd | github.com | |
| CVE Program record | CVE.ORG | www.cve.org | canonical |
| NVD vulnerability detail | NVD | nvd.nist.gov | canonical, analysis |
Vendor Comments And Credit
Discovery Credit
CNA: Guillaume Meunier from Orange Cyberdefense CERT VOC Team (en)
Additional Advisory Data
| Source | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|
| CNA | 2026-02-27T23:00:00.000Z | Vulnerability found |
| CNA | 2026-03-03T16:01:00.000Z | Vulnerability disclosed to Axel |
| CNA | 2026-07-22T06:52:00.000Z | Patch released |
| CNA | 2026-10-28T11:25:00.000Z | Vulnerability disclosed |
Solutions
CNA: Apply patch provided by Axel. Will be fixed in 2.17.16 as well
There are currently no legacy QID mappings associated with this CVE.