Claude Code: TOCTOU Race in Edit Tool Allows File Writes Outside the Workspace
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2026-88968 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | GitHub_M |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2026-11-03 20:18:19 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-11-03 22:19:50 UTC |
| Description | Claude Code is an agentic coding tool. Prior to 2.1.251, the Edit tool validates a target using pathname and symlink resolution that is not bound to the underlying directory inode or file descriptor. On macOS, attacker-controlled code running in the Bash sandbox can atomically replace an in-workspace parent directory with a symlink after validation, causing the unsandboxed Edit implementation to overwrite a user-writable file outside the workspace. Exploitation requires attacker-controlled code to run inside the sandbox, such as from a malicious repository or dependency script. This issue is fixed in version 2.1.251. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v4.0 7.7 HIGH from [email protected]
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/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
EPSS: 0.003170000 probability, percentile 0.247940000 (date 2026-11-04)
Problem Types: CWE-59 | CWE-367 | CWE-59 CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following') | CWE-367 CWE-367: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition
| Version | Source | Type | Score | Severity | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.0 | [email protected] | Secondary | 7.7 | HIGH | CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/C... |
| 4.0 | CNA | DECLARED | 7.7 | HIGH | CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N |
CVSS v4.0 Breakdown
Attack Vector
NetworkAttack Complexity
LowAttack Requirements
PresentPrivileges Required
NoneUser Interaction
PassiveConfidentiality
HighIntegrity
HighAvailability
HighSub Conf.
NoneSub Integrity
NoneSub Availability
NoneCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/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
Vendor Declared Affected Products
| Source | Vendor | Product | Version | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNA | Anthropics | Claude-code | affected < 2.1.251 | Not specified |
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| github.com/anthropics/claude-code/releases/tag/v2.1.251 | [email protected] | github.com | |
| github.com/anthropics/claude-code/security/advisories/GHSA-5xjx-9qx6-jcrv | [email protected] | github.com | |
| CVE Program record | CVE.ORG | www.cve.org | canonical |
| NVD vulnerability detail | NVD | nvd.nist.gov | canonical, analysis |
No vendor comments have been submitted for this CVE.
There are currently no legacy QID mappings associated with this CVE.