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Description

Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in Erlang OTP ssh (ssh_sftpd module) allows an authenticated SFTP user to modify file attributes outside the configured chroot directory. The SFTP daemon (ssh_sftpd) stores the raw, user-supplied path in file handles instead of the chroot-resolved path. When SSH_FXP_FSETSTAT is issued on such a handle, file attributes (permissions, ownership, timestamps) are modified on the real filesystem path, bypassing the root directory boundary entirely. Any authenticated SFTP user on a server configured with the root option can modify file attributes of files outside the intended chroot boundary. The prerequisite is that a target file must exist on the real filesystem at the same relative path. Note that this vulnerability only allows modification of file attributes; file contents cannot be read or altered through this attack vector. If the SSH daemon runs as root, this enables direct privilege escalation: an attacker can set the setuid bit on any binary, change ownership of sensitive files, or make system configuration world-writable. This vulnerability is associated with program files lib/ssh/src/ssh_sftpd.erl and program routines ssh_sftpd:do_open/4 and ssh_sftpd:handle_op/4. This issue affects OTP from OTP 17.0 until OTP 28.4.3, 27.3.4.11, and 26.2.5.20 corresponding to ssh from 3.01 until 5.5.3, 5.2.11.7, and 5.1.4.15.

PUBLISHED Reserved 2026-03-10 | Published 2026-04-21 | Updated 2026-04-22 | Assigner EEF




MEDIUM: 5.3CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:L/SA:N

Problem types

CWE-22 Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')

Product status

Default status
unknown

3.01 (otp) before *
affected

Default status
unknown

17.0 (otp) before *
affected

07b8f441ca711f9812fad9e9115bab3c3aa92f79 (git) before *
affected

Credits

John Downey finder

Michał Wąsowski remediation developer

Jakub Witczak remediation reviewer

References

github.com/...ng/otp/security/advisories/GHSA-28jg-mw9x-hpm5 vendor-advisory related

cna.erlef.org/cves/CVE-2026-32147.html related

osv.dev/vulnerability/EEF-CVE-2026-32147 related

www.erlang.org/doc/system/versions.html

github.com/...ommit/28c5d5a6c5f873dc701b597276271763e7d1c004 patch

cve.org (CVE-2026-32147)

nvd.nist.gov (CVE-2026-32147)

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