CVE-2026-54055

Description

Kitty is a cross-platform GPU based terminal. In versions prior to 0.47.2, a local privilege escalation vulnerability exists in kitty's file transmission protocol where a child process running in the terminal can write to arbitrary files on the filesystem by exploiting a TOCTOU (Time-of-Check-Time-of-Use) race condition between symlink validation and file creation. The `os.open()` call used to create files does not use `O_NOFOLLOW`, allowing an attacker to create a symlink between the initial stat check and the actual file open, causing the write to follow the symlink to an arbitrary destination. Version 0.47.2 fixes the issue.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

5.0

MEDIUM

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:L

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0007

Probability of exploitation

0.00%

Percentile rank

EPSS estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A higher score means more likely to be exploited.

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-59 CWE-59

CWE-367 CWE-367

CWE-426 CWE-426

Affected Products

Vendor	Product	Versions
kovidgoyal	kitty	< 0.47.2

References

Advisories & Patches

https://github.com/kovidgoyal/kitty/security/advisories/GHSA-q446-x7q6-vcxh https://github.com/kovidgoyal/kitty/security/advisories/GHSA-q446-x7q6-vcxh

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-54055? +

Kitty is a cross-platform GPU based terminal. In versions prior to 0.47.2, a local privilege escalation vulnerability exists in kitty's file transmission protocol where a child process running in the terminal can write to arbitrary files on the filesystem by exploiting a TOCTOU (Time-of-Check-Time-of-Use) race condition between symlink validation and file creation. The `os.open()` call used to create files does not use `O_NOFOLLOW`, allowing an attacker to create a symlink between the initial stat check and the actual file open, causing the write to follow the symlink to an arbitrary destination. Version 0.47.2 fixes the issue. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.0 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2026-54055? +

CVE-2026-54055 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 5.0 out of 10, rated MEDIUM. This is a medium-severity vulnerability that should be remediated as part of regular maintenance. The EPSS score is 0.0007, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.

What products are affected by CVE-2026-54055? +

CVE-2026-54055 affects products from kovidgoyal, specifically: kitty. Check the affected products table above for specific version ranges.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-54055? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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