SFTP REALPATH path-existence oracle allowing filesystem enumeration outside configured root
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2026-53422 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | EEF |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2026-07-02 17:17:01 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-07-02 18:16:48 UTC |
| Description | Observable Response Discrepancy vulnerability in Erlang OTP ssh (ssh_sftpd module) allows an authenticated SFTP user to enumerate the existence of files and directories outside the configured root directory. The SSH_FXP_REALPATH handler in ssh_sftpd calls relate_file_name/3 with Canonicalize=false, unlike every other SFTP operation handler. This allows .. components in the requested path to bypass the is_within_root/2 check without being resolved. The un-canonicalized path then enters resolve_symlinks/2, which walks up the directory tree above the configured root and issues read_link() syscalls on arbitrary filesystem paths. An authenticated SFTP client can exploit this by sending a REALPATH request with a crafted traversal path. The server response differs depending on whether the target path exists on the host filesystem (SSH_FXP_NAME when the path resolves successfully, SSH_FX_NO_SUCH_FILE when it does not). This creates a path-existence oracle that an attacker can use to enumerate the filesystem structure outside the configured root, including the existence of sensitive files, directories, and mount points. The vulnerability leaks only the existence of paths. No file contents, credentials, or write access are obtainable through this issue alone. The information gained may assist further attacks when combined with other vulnerabilities. This vulnerability is associated with program files lib/ssh/src/ssh_sftpd.erl and program routine ssh_sftpd:handle_op/4. This issue affects OTP from OTP 17.0 until OTP 29.0.3, 28.5.0.3, and 27.3.4.14 corresponding to ssh from 3.0.1 until 6.0.2, 5.5.2.2, and 5.2.11.9. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v4.0 2.3 LOW from 6b3ad84c-e1a6-4bf7-a703-f496b71e49db
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/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-204 | CWE-204 CWE-204 Observable Response Discrepancy
| Version | Source | Type | Score | Severity | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.0 | 6b3ad84c-e1a6-4bf7-a703-f496b71e49db | Secondary | 2.3 | LOW | CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/C... |
| 4.0 | CNA | CVSS | 2.3 | LOW | CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N |
CVSS v4.0 Breakdown
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/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
Vendor Declared Affected Products
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| github.com/erlang/otp/commit/c5a8f50ae68888ff243c5c741a06d2b3a4b48b7a | 6b3ad84c-e1a6-4bf7-a703-f496b71e49db | github.com | |
| osv.dev/vulnerability/EEF-CVE-2026-53422 | 6b3ad84c-e1a6-4bf7-a703-f496b71e49db | osv.dev | |
| cna.erlef.org/cves/CVE-2026-53422.html | 6b3ad84c-e1a6-4bf7-a703-f496b71e49db | cna.erlef.org | |
| github.com/erlang/otp/security/advisories/GHSA-h9pw-h5w4-h976 | 6b3ad84c-e1a6-4bf7-a703-f496b71e49db | github.com | |
| github.com/erlang/otp/commit/86622cfaacf57a02c7645d1999f946846b504c94 | 6b3ad84c-e1a6-4bf7-a703-f496b71e49db | github.com | |
| github.com/erlang/otp/commit/059e5785ef8c1d423820ca633fb7b37f47645172 | 6b3ad84c-e1a6-4bf7-a703-f496b71e49db | github.com | |
| www.erlang.org/doc/system/versions.html | 6b3ad84c-e1a6-4bf7-a703-f496b71e49db | www.erlang.org | |
| 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: Mohamed Ali IBNAL HAJALI / Ericsson (en)
CNA: Michał Wąsowski (en)
CNA: Jakub Witczak (en)
Additional Advisory Data
Workarounds
CNA: * Use OS-level chroot to run the Erlang VM or SFTP server process in an isolated filesystem environment, eliminating reliance on the application-level root option. * Ensure the SFTP server port on the machine running the Erlang/OTP SFTP server is not reachable from untrusted machines. * Ensure that no sensitive information (usernames, project names, mount topology) is inferrable from the existence or non-existence of paths on the host filesystem.