Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessCraft malicious .vpk with '..' zip entries
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DeliveryDistribute as homebrew/game bait
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ExploitVictim installs archive in Vita3K
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ExecutionZip slip writes files outside install dir
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PersistDrop payload in executable/autorun path
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ImpactAchieve host code execution
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V5 - File Handling Path canonicalization, traversal prevention
MITRE ATT&CK
2 techniques across 2 tactics: Discovery, Collection The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires the victim to install a crafted .vpk archive through Vita3K's package installation feature (the install_archive_content() code path); the attacker must get this malicious archive onto the victim's machine and convince them to install it. The specific prerequisite is a .vpk whose zip entry names embed '..' traversal segments or absolute paths. Limiting factors: this is local-only (AV:L) with required active user interaction (UI:A) - there is no remote or network trigger - so it depends entirely on social engineering or a poisoned package source; it affects Vita3K builds before 4187 and is fully remediated in patched builds. Write destinations are limited to locations writable by the Vita3K process. |
| Impact | This is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.7, CVSS:4.0 base) local file-write flaw whose real-world risk is moderate-to-low for most environments but non-trivial for the hobbyist community that runs Vita3K. The CVSS 4.0 vector is internally consistent with the description: AV:L (the attacker does not reach this over the network - a local user must install a package), AT:N and AC:L (no special timing/conditions once a crafted archive is processed), PR:N (no Vita3K authentication exists), and crucially UI:A (active user interaction - the victim must choose to install a malicious .vpk). Impact is scoped to integrity (VI:H) with VC:N/VA:N, reflecting arbitrary file write rather than guaranteed confidentiality or availability loss; the 'potentially enabling host code execution' phrasing is a plausible chained outcome, not a demonstrated one, which is why the vendor did not score confidentiality/availability. No EPSS score, no CISA KEV entry, and no SSVC decision data were supplied in the input, and no public exploit is referenced - so there is no public exploit identified at time of analysis. The combination of required user interaction, local-only vector, and a niche product means this is NOT a mass-exploitation priority; it is best treated as a supply-chain/social-engineering risk within the emulation ecosystem. A patch is confirmed available (vendor commit 55f88cd), so remediation is straightforward. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker packages a malicious .vpk (e.g., disguised as a homebrew app or game) whose zip entries contain '..' segments or absolute paths, and distributes it on an emulation forum or file-sharing site. A victim installs it in Vita3K, and install_archive_content() writes the attacker-controlled files outside the intended install directory - for example into a startup or executable location - potentially leading to host code execution. No public exploit code is identified at time of analysis. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 18, 2026
Path traversal in Vita3K builds before 4187 allows a crafted .vpk archive to write files outside the emulator's install directory, potentially leading to host code execution with the privileges of the Vita3K process. Exploitation is local and requires the victim to install a malicious package, so risk is moderate-to-low for most environments but non-trivial for users who routinely sideload .vpk files. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis, and the flaw is remediated in build 4187.
RemediationAI
Vendor-released patch: build 4187, which contains commit 55f88cd17a78ce8af7d753c7c4eb2f709f7d6dbc adding path-normalization checks in install_archive_content() (vendor advisory: https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/vita3k-before-build-4187-path-traversal-via-vpk-package-installation; issue: https://github.com/Vita3K/Vita3K/issues/4254). If immediate upgrade is not possible, only install .vpk files from trusted sources and inspect archive entry names for '..' segments or absolute paths before installation; this is error-prone and depends on user diligence. Running Vita3K under a low-privilege account or in a sandbox with a restricted writable directory limits the impact of a successful traversal, at the cost of potentially breaking emulator features that need broader filesystem access.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
Vita3K is a PlayStation Vita emulator that installs .vpk packages, which are ZIP archives, through install_archive_content() in vita3k/interface.cpp. The function joined attacker-controlled zip entry names to the install directory without validating the resulting path, so entries containing '..' segments or absolute paths (a 'zip slip' traversal, CWE-22) could escape the intended output directory and overwrite arbitrary files writable by the emulator process. The upstream fix (commit 55f88cd) lexically normalizes both the intended output directory and each entry path, computes the relative path, and rejects entries whose relative path is empty or begins with '..'. The CPE cpe:2.3:a:vita3k:vita3k:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* covers all pre-4187 builds.
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Severity by source
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Local vector requiring a user to install a crafted .vpk (AV:L/UI:R/PR:N); direct impact is arbitrary file write (I:H) with no inherent confidentiality or availability loss, matching the vendor's integrity-only scoring.
Primary rating from Vendor (VulnCheck).
CVSS VectorVendor: VulnCheck
DescriptionCVE.org
Vita3K before build 4187 contains a path traversal (zip slip) vulnerability in install_archive_content() that allows attackers to write files outside the install directory via crafted .vpk archives. Attackers can embed '..' segments or absolute paths in zip entry names to write attacker-controlled files anywhere writable by Vita3K, potentially enabling host code execution.
Threat Intelligence Overview
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.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Path traversal exploits occur when applications use user-controlled input to construct file system paths without proper validation.
Remote Code Execution represents the critical moment when an attacker successfully runs arbitrary code on a target system without physical access.
EUVD-2026-103511
GHSA-hxj8-qwr3-jc5p
NVD
CVE.org
Exploit-DB