Skip to main content

Zed CVE-2026-27967

HIGH
Improper Link Resolution Before File Access (CWE-59)
2026-02-26 security-advisories@github.com
7.1
CVSS 3.1 · GitHub Advisory
View

Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Create symlink in project directory
  2. Exploit
    Point symlink to sensitive external files
  3. Execution
    Invoke Agent read_file tool
  4. Impact
    Access files outside workspace boundary

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V5 - File Handling Symlink resolution safety
Exploitation Conditions

Zed versions prior to 0.225.9 with Agent file tools enabled. Project must contain symbolic links pointing to paths outside the workspace. User interaction required to invoke Agent read_file or edit_file operations on symlink targets.

Impact

CVSS 7.1 (HIGH). Attack vector: Local. Complexity: Low. Privileges required: None. User interaction: Required. Public exploit/POC available.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to compromise the affected system.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
No patch listed yet 0.0% exploitation probability (EPSS)

Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.

Alert me

AnalysisAIv1 – Mar 12, 2026

Zed code editor versions before 0.225.9 fail to properly validate symbolic links in Agent file tools, allowing attackers to read and write arbitrary files outside the project directory and bypass workspace boundary protections. This vulnerability can expose sensitive user data to language models and leak private files despite configured exclusions. Public exploit code exists and no patch is currently available.

Earlier versions of this analysis (1)
v1 Mar 12, 2026 - 21:55 CVSS 7.1

Zed, a code editor, has a symlink escape vulnerability in versions prior to 0.225.9 in Agent file tools (read_file, edit_file). It allows reading and writing files outside the project directory when a project contains symbolic links pointing to external paths. [CVSS 7.1 HIGH]

RemediationAI

Monitor vendor advisories for a patch.

Affects your stack

Find out whether the stacks and servers you run are on an affected version.

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

Classified as CWE-59 (Improper Link Resolution Before File Access). Affects Zed. Zed, a code editor, has a symlink escape vulnerability in versions prior to 0.225.9 in Agent file tools (read_file, edit_file). It allows reading and writing files outside the project directory when a project contains symbolic links pointing to external paths. This bypasses the intended workspace boundary and privacy protections (file_scan_exclusions, private_files), potentially leaking sensitive user data to the LLM. Version 0.225.9 fixes the issue.

Know when Zed gets its next vulnerability

  • Watch products and get an email when something new is published
  • Check this CVE against your own stack and servers
  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

No credit card · 7-day full trial

Severity by source

GitHub Advisory PRIMARY 7.1 HIGH
AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

Primary rating from GitHub Advisory · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorGitHub Advisory

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

Lifecycle Timeline

2
PoC Detected
Mar 05, 2026 - 16:10 vuln.today
Public exploit code
CVE Published
Feb 26, 2026 - 00:16 nvd
HIGH 7.1

DescriptionGitHub Advisory

Zed, a code editor, has a symlink escape vulnerability in versions prior to 0.225.9 in Agent file tools (read_file, edit_file). It allows reading and writing files outside the project directory when a project contains symbolic links pointing to external paths. This bypasses the intended workspace boundary and privacy protections (file_scan_exclusions, private_files), potentially leaking sensitive user data to the LLM. Version 0.225.9 fixes the issue.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

Zed code editor versions before 0.225.9 contain a critical symlink vulnerability allowing attackers to read and modify files outside intended project directories. Organizations using Zed for development face unauthorized access to sensitive source code, credentials, and configuration files if projects contain symbolic links to external paths.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Until patch is available: (1) Disable Agent file tools (read_file, edit_file) functionality if Zed configuration allows; (2) Restrict Zed usage to isolated development environments without access to production systems, shared credentials, or sensitive repositories; (3) Audit and remove all symbolic links from project directories; (4) Implement file integrity monitoring on directories outside active projects; (5) Use network segmentation to limit editor tool outbound access; (6) Enforce principle of least privilege on user accounts running Zed.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.0%
Top 99% exploitable
Exploit
POC
Public exploit code exists
Data Quality
4 sources
Confidence: Medium

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC Yes
EPSS 0.0%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation· derived
Poc
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact
High

Priority Score

56
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +36
PoC: +20
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Path traversal exploits occur when applications use user-controlled input to construct file system paths without proper validation.

Affected Products (CPE)GitHub Advisory

cpe:2.3:a:zed:zed:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More in Zed

View all
CVE-2026-27976 HIGH POC
8.8 Feb 26

Zed, a code editor, has an extension installer allows tar/gzip downloads. [CVSS 8.8 HIGH]

CVE-2026-27800 HIGH POC
7.4 Feb 26

Zed code editor versions prior to 0.224.4 contain a path traversal vulnerability in ZIP extraction that fails to sanitiz

CVE-2025-68433 HIGH POC
7.3 Dec 17

Arbitrary code execution in the Zed code editor affects all versions prior to 0.218.2-pre, where Model Context Protocol

CVE-2025-68432 HIGH POC
7.3 Dec 17

Arbitrary code execution in the Zed code editor (all versions prior to 0.218.2-pre) lets a project's .zed/settings.json

CVE-2026-25805 MEDIUM POC
6.4 Feb 10

Zed Editor versions prior to 0.219.4 fail to display tool invocation parameters during permission prompts or after execu

CVE-2018-16518 CRITICAL
9.8 Sep 05

A directory traversal vulnerability with remote code execution in Prim'X Zed!. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this

CVE-2026-44465 HIGH
8.6 May 28

Remote code execution in Zed code editor versions prior to 0.227.1 occurs when a user opens a folder containing a malici

CVE-2026-44463 HIGH
8.6 May 28

Arbitrary code execution in the Zed code editor (versions prior to 0.229.0) is possible by abusing its terminal tool per

CVE-2026-44466 HIGH
8.6 May 28

Command injection in Zed code editor versions prior to 0.229.0 allows bypass of the terminal tool's permission allowlist

CVE-2026-44461 HIGH
8.6 May 28

Remote command execution in Zed code editor versions prior to 0.227.1 occurs when opening SSH or WSL remote terminals be

CVE-2023-50444 HIGH
7.5 Dec 13

By default, .ZED containers produced by PRIMX ZED!. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely explo

CVE-2026-44462 MEDIUM
6.4 May 28

We are tasked to synthesize data from multiple intelligence sources about CVE-2026-44462 into a comprehensive JSON analy

This site uses cookies essential for authentication and security. No tracking or analytics cookies are used. Privacy Policy