CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2026-100638NVD status: Deferred

siyuan: External Control of File Name or Path

CVE-2026-100638 is a high-severity external control of file name or path vulnerability in siyuan from Siyuan-note, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.6 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an attacker with administrator privileges, without any action from a user. The record lists version 3.8.4 as the first without the flaw, so updating siyuan to that release or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.55% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Update siyuan to 3.8.4 or a later version.
  2. Read the advisory on github.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
Siyuan-notesiyuanbefore 3.8.43.8.4

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
HighAdministrator-level access is required first.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
ChangedThe attack can reach beyond the vulnerable component into other systems.
Confidentiality
NoneNo data is disclosed.
Integrity
HighData or code can be modified at will.
Availability
LowPerformance or availability is reduced.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:L. Scored by CNA (vulncheck.com).

Scoring systemScoreSeverityScored by
CVSS 4.08.3HighCNA (vulncheck.com)
CVSS 3.17.6HighCNA (vulncheck.com)

Official description

SiYuan versions before v3.8.4 contain a path traversal vulnerability in the setNotebookIcon endpoint that allows authenticated administrators to create arbitrary directory trees and write files outside the workspace boundary. Attackers can supply directory traversal sequences in the notebook parameter to escape the workspace data directory and write conf.json files to arbitrary locations accessible by the kernel process.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: External Control of File Name or Path

The product allows user input to control or influence paths or file names that are used in filesystem operations.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • When the set of filenames is limited or known, create a mapping from a set of fixed input values (such as numeric IDs) to the actual filenames, and reject all other inputs. For example, ID 1 could map to inbox.txt and ID 2 could map to profile.txt. Features such as the ESAPI AccessReferenceMap provide this capability.
  • Run your code in a jail or similar sandbox environment that enforces strict boundaries between the process and the operating system. This may effectively restrict all access to files within a particular directory. Examples include the Unix chroot jail and AppArmor. In general, managed code may provide some protection. This may not be a feasible solution, and it only limits the impact to the operating system; the rest of your application may still be subject to compromise. Be careful to avoid CWE-243 and other weaknesses related to jails.
  • For any security checks that are performed on the client side, ensure that these checks are duplicated on the server side, in order to avoid CWE-602. Attackers can bypass the client-side checks by modifying values after the checks have been performed, or by changing the client to remove the client-side checks entirely. Then, these modified values would be submitted to the server.

More External Control of File Name or Path vulnerabilities (CWE-73)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: poc, automatable: no, technical impact: partial).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Other vulnerabilities in siyuan

All siyuan vulnerabilities

Recent External Control of File Name or Path vulnerabilities

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