CVE-2026-85272: Path Traversal (CVSS 4.3)

Description

Open edX Platform enables the authoring and delivery of online learning at any scale. From Aspen.1 until Ulmo and Verawood.1, openedx/core/lib/extract_archive.py uses _is_bad_path to validate safe_extractall targets by comparing resolved path strings with startswith instead of comparing path components. A course author or staff user with course import permission can submit a crafted .tar.gz archive through the import_olx flow initiated by cms.djangoapps.contentstore.views.import_export.import_handler. An archive member can therefore escape into a sibling course staging directory whose name shares the attacker's base64 directory prefix, causing limited cross-tenant file corruption. Zip archives are not practically affected because ZipFile.extractall strips parent traversal segments, and the advisory does not establish arbitrary filesystem writes, file reads, or direct code execution. This issue is fixed in Ulmo and Verawood.1.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

4.3

MEDIUM

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

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0048

Probability of exploitation

0.39%

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-22 Path Traversal

References

Other References

https://github.com/openedx/openedx-platform/commit/8422334e2063015a28b6460a34aa4bb4d8ae1ca8 https://github.com/openedx/openedx-platform/commit/97de0586d878936c9f97c03fdaa20346ee8eac29 https://github.com/openedx/openedx-platform/commit/e552907ff33a7b2e53f99b819123c9dacdfc127a https://github.com/openedx/openedx-platform/releases/tag/release/ulmo.4 https://github.com/openedx/openedx-platform/releases/tag/release/verawood.1 https://github.com/openedx/openedx-platform/security/advisories/GHSA-6cmm-8875-5pcw

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-85272? +

Open edX Platform enables the authoring and delivery of online learning at any scale. From Aspen.1 until Ulmo and Verawood.1, openedx/core/lib/extract_archive.py uses _is_bad_path to validate safe_extractall targets by comparing resolved path strings with startswith instead of comparing path components. A course author or staff user with course import permission can submit a crafted .tar.gz archive through the import_olx flow initiated by cms.djangoapps.contentstore.views.import_export.import_handler. An archive member can therefore escape into a sibling course staging directory whose name shares the attacker's base64 directory prefix, causing limited cross-tenant file corruption. Zip archives are not practically affected because ZipFile.extractall strips parent traversal segments, and the advisory does not establish arbitrary filesystem writes, file reads, or direct code execution. This issue is fixed in Ulmo and Verawood.1. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.3 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2026-85272? +

CVE-2026-85272 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 4.3 out of 10, rated MEDIUM. This is a medium-severity vulnerability that should be remediated as part of regular maintenance. The EPSS score is 0.0048, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-85272? +

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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