s3-proxy: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory
CVE-2026-42882 is a critical-severity improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory vulnerability in s3-proxy from Oxyno-zeta, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.4 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. Affected s3-proxy versions: < 5.0.0. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. 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.
Critical severity: a successful attack would have severe impact.
What to do
- Check which version of s3-proxy you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
- Read the advisory on github.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
- Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oxyno-zeta | s3-proxy | < 5.0.0 | Not stated |
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
- NoneNo account or login is needed.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- Availability
- LowPerformance or availability is reduced.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L. Scored by CNA (github.com).
Official description
oxyno-zeta/s3-proxy is an aws s3 proxy written in go. Prior to 5.0.0, s3-proxy contains an authentication bypass caused by inconsistent URL path interpretation between the authentication middleware and the bucket handler. The authentication middleware evaluates resource path patterns against the percent-encoded request URI (r.URL.RequestURI()), while the bucket handler constructs S3 object keys from the decoded path (r.URL.Path). This mismatch, combined with the glob library being invoked without a path separator (causing * to match across / boundaries), allows unauthenticated attackers to write to, read from, or delete objects in protected S3 namespaces. Exploitation is possible via three techniques: (1) using * patterns that match across path separators to reach protected routes via path traversal (e.g., /open/foo/drafts/../restricted/), (2) using percent-encoded slashes (%2F) to collapse multiple path segments into a single token at the auth layer while the decoded form resolves to a protected namespace at the storage layer, and (3) using dot-dot segments (../) under ** prefix patterns, where the raw path matches an open route while Go's URL parser resolves the traversal to a protected path before the bucket handler runs. An unauthenticated attacker with network access can perform unauthorized PUT, GET, or DELETE operations on objects in authentication-protected S3 namespaces. This vulnerability is fixed in 5.0.0.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory
The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- 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.
- Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid.
- Use an application firewall that can detect attacks against this weakness. It can be beneficial in cases in which the code cannot be fixed (because it is controlled by a third party), as an emergency prevention measure while more comprehensive software assurance measures are applied, or to provide defense in depth.
More Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory vulnerabilities (CWE-22)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: poc, automatable: yes, technical impact: total).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Patches and release notes
Other vulnerabilities in s3-proxy
- 8.2 High severity
Recent Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory vulnerabilities
- 8.7 High severity
- 8.2 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.1 High severity
- 9.1 Critical severity
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