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uTox EUVDEUVD-2026-104923

| CVE-2026-113352 HIGH
Path Traversal (CWE-22)
2026-10-20 VulnCheck GHSA-pqrg-92p8-w72h
7.7
CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: VulnCheck
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Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Access
    Establish Tox friendship with victim
  2. Delivery
    Send file with ../ or absolute path
  3. Exploit
    Auto-accept writes file outside download dir
  4. Execution
    Overwrite shell rc or plant .ftinfo record
  5. Persist
    ft_find_resumeable abuses FILE pointer to /proc/self/mem
  6. Impact
    Execute arbitrary code on victim host

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 (1) the attacker to be an already-accepted Tox friend/contact of the victim, and (2) the victim to have the auto-accept file-transfer feature enabled, which is a non-default setting - this is precisely the AT:P attack requirement. Given those, the attacker sends a file whose name is an absolute path or contains ../ traversal sequences (the unpatched code in utox.c called native_autoselect_dir_ft without validating the filename). Code execution further depends on the victim's environment: either overwriting a shell startup file that is later sourced, or planting a .ftinfo resume record that ft_find_resumeable() parses, abusing FILE pointers to write /proc/self/mem. Limiting factors: no exploitation against untrusted strangers or default configurations, and the write-to-execute step depends on platform specifics (Linux /proc/self/mem) and victim behavior.

Impact

The provided CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H) scores 7.7 (High) and is internally consistent with the description: exploitation is network-reachable but gated by two preconditions - the attacker must be an accepted Tox friend (PR:L) and the victim must have the non-default auto-accept feature enabled, which the AT:P (attack-requirement present) metric correctly reflects. These gating factors are the key reason this is not a drive-by, mass-exploitable flaw despite the network vector and the severe VC/VI/VA:H triple impact (arbitrary file write escalating to code execution via the /proc/self/mem technique). No EPSS score was supplied, and the CVE is NOT in CISA KEV, so there is no evidence of active exploitation; likewise no public POC is referenced, only source-level root-cause pointers and vendor patch PRs. Signals are consistent rather than conflicting - the main caveat is that real-world risk is heavily gated by the auto-accept + trusted-friend requirement, placing this below internet-facing unauthenticated RCEs in priority. Treat as a meaningful priority only for deployments that run uTox with auto-accept enabled; patch availability makes remediation straightforward.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker who is already an accepted Tox contact of a victim running uTox with auto-accept enabled sends a file transfer whose filename contains an absolute path or ../ sequences, causing the file to be written outside the intended download directory. They overwrite a shell startup file, or plant a crafted .ftinfo resume record that ft_find_resumeable() later loads, abusing FILE pointers to write /proc/self/mem and achieve code execution. No public exploit code was identified at time of analysis, though the vendor advisory and source references detail the mechanism.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.6% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 20, 2026

Path traversal in uTox through 0.18.1 lets an already-accepted Tox friend write files to arbitrary locations on a victim's machine when the non-default auto-accept file-transfer option is enabled, by sending a filename that is an absolute path or contains ../ sequences. The unsafe name is passed straight to native_autoselect_dir_ft() in src/utox.c without validation, so an attacker can overwrite shell startup files or plant crafted .ftinfo resume records that ft_find_resumeable() later parses, ultimately abusing FILE pointers to write /proc/self/mem and achieve code execution. Exploitation is gated by two preconditions - the sender must be a trusted contact and auto-accept must be turned on - matching the AT:P attack requirement in the 7.7 High CVSS 4.0 vector; no public exploit code and no confirmed active exploitation were identified at time of analysis, and vendor fixes are available via pull requests 1602 and 1603.

RemediationAI

Vendor-released patch: apply the fixes in https://github.com/uTox/uTox/pull/1602 and https://github.com/uTox/uTox/pull/1603 (tracked in issue https://github.com/uTox/uTox/issues/1587); PR 1602 adds validation in src/utox.c that scans the incoming filename and, on encountering '/', '\\' or a NUL-terminator mismatch, logs 'invalid filename', clears the auto-accept flag and posts TOX_FILE_CANCEL instead of calling native_autoselect_dir_ft(). Because no patched release tag is confirmed, rebuild from upstream master or cherry-pick those commits and confirm both the utox.c guard and the file_transfers.c/filesys.c path handling are present. Until then, the single most effective control is to disable auto-accept for file transfers entirely - this removes the vulnerable code path at the cost of requiring manual per-transfer confirmation. Additionally, only keep genuinely trusted contacts on the friend list, since the attack requires an accepted friend (removing unknown or unverified contacts also breaks normal messaging with them); refuse or cancel incoming transfers whose names look like absolute paths or contain '..'; and monitor or make shell startup files (.bashrc, .profile, .zshrc, XDG autostart entries) and Tox .ftinfo resume records read-only or integrity-checked, accepting that this may interfere with legitimate profile edits and transfer resumption. Running uTox as a low-privilege, non-essential account limits the blast radius of a successful arbitrary write, but does not prevent compromise of that user's files - it is a containment measure, not a fix. See https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/utox-through-0.18.1-path-traversal-via-auto-accepted-file-transfers for the reporter's advisory.

Affected VersionsENISA

uTox 0 ≤0.18.1

Affected Packages

euvd utox no fix

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

uTox is a lightweight C implementation of the Tox encrypted peer-to-peer chat and file-transfer protocol. File transfers are handled in src/file_transfers.c and src/xlib/filesys.c (the referenced sink is native_autoselect_dir_ft at filesys.c#L191-L214, reached from the transfer dispatch code at file_transfers.c#L249-L290). The root cause is CWE-22: the peer-supplied file name is used to build the destination path without canonicalization or rejection of path separators, '..' components, or absolute prefixes, so a name like '../../.bashrc' or '/home/user/.config/autostart/x.desktop' escapes the intended download directory. The impact chain is two-stage: the primary primitive is arbitrary file write as the uTox user; the secondary stage is code execution, achieved either by overwriting a shell startup file that will be sourced later, or by planting a malicious .ftinfo resume record that ft_find_resumeable() deserializes - a crafted record can desynchronize FILE pointer fields so subsequent writes land in /proc/self/mem, corrupting process memory and hijacking execution. Because that escalation relies on Linux-specific /proc/self/mem semantics and on victim behavior (re-sourcing a shell profile, resuming a transfer), the practical exploitability varies by platform and configuration, which is consistent with the assessed CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H vector rather than a straightforward unauthenticated remote compromise.

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Severity by source

Vendor (VulnCheck) PRIMARY 7.7 HIGH
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
vuln.today AI 7.5 HIGH

Attacker must be an accepted friend (PR:L) and victim must enable non-default auto-accept, modeled as AC:H in 3.1; arbitrary file write leading to code execution yields C/I/A:H.

3.1 AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (VulnCheck).

CVSS VectorVendor: VulnCheck

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Attack Requirements
Present
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Vulnerable system: Confidentiality
High
Vulnerable system: Integrity
High
Vulnerable system: Availability
High
Subsequent system: Confidentiality
None
Subsequent system: Integrity
None
Subsequent system: Availability
None

DescriptionCVE.org

uTox through 0.18.1 contains a path traversal vulnerability that allows Tox friends to write arbitrary files by sending absolute or ../ file names to victims with auto-accept enabled. Attackers can overwrite shell startup files or plant crafted .ftinfo resume records that ft_find_resumeable() loads, abusing FILE pointers to write /proc/self/mem and execute code.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

uTox versions through 0.18.1 contain a high-severity file-transfer flaw that can allow an accepted contact to write files outside the intended download location when the non-default auto-accept option is enabled, creating a path to code execution on affected endpoints. Leadership should care because compromise is gated by a trusted-contact relationship and a non-default setting, so exposure is concentrated among users who rely on auto-accept and may not be visible through ordinary perimeter controls. No public exploit identified at time of analysis, but the potential for code execution warrants prompt inventory and remediation of affected uTox installations.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.6%
Top 53% exploitable
Prevalence
Low
niche open-source Tox desktop chat client, limited user base
Data Quality
5 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 No
EPSS 0.6%
Patch available Yes
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
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
No
Human Impact
High
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

39
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: +1
CVSS: +38
PoC: 0
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.

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