Vulnerability Intelligence Report
Path traversal via unvalidated instance name in backup tarball restore enables root file write / RCE
CVE-2026-66898
A path traversal vulnerability in LXD allows an attacker to manipulate file system paths during backup import and restore operations. When importing or restoring a backup archive, LXD fails to validate instance and storage volume names contained within the archive metadata. An attacker can exploit this flaw by supplying a crafted backup archive with malicious instance or volume names containing path traversal sequences, potentially allowing file access or overwriting outside the designated restore directory.
Path Traversal
No Active Exploit Signals
CVSS Base Score
9.9
CRITICAL
Exploitability:3.2
Impact Score:6.1
EPSS Probability:0.34%
Executive Threat Verdict
Evaluating...
Evaluating Threat Landscape...
Assessing known weaponization, exploitation telemetry, and federal advisories.
Attack Surface
—
Authentication
—
Weaponization
—
SSVC Action
—
Weaknesses (CWE)
CWE-22 ↗CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Affected Products & Versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected Versions |
|---|---|---|
| Canonical | LXD | 4.0.0 < 4.0.12 (affected), 5.0.0 < 5.0.4 (affected), 5.21.0 < 5.21.2 (affected), 6.0 < 6.1 (affected) |
Threat Intelligence Signals
EPSS Score
0.344%
Vulnerability Class
Path Traversal
Identity & Timeline
| Status | PUBLISHED |
| Assigning Authority | Canonical Ltd. · Vendor · UK |
| Reserved | 2026-07-28T07:41:26 |
| Published | 2026-08-12T20:07:32 |
| Last Updated | 2026-08-13T13:40:18 |
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