Improper Link Resolution Before File Access
CWE-59
The product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource.
We track 491 vulnerabilities of this type. 100% are rated high or critical, and the average CVSS score is 8.0. 25 have been exploited in real attacks.
How this weakness is prevented
- Architecture and Design: Follow the principle of least privilege when assigning access rights to entities in a software system. Denying access to a file can prevent an attacker from replacing that file with a link to a sensitive file. Ensure good compartmentalization in the system to provide protected areas that can be trusted.
Latest Improper Link Resolution Before File Access vulnerabilities
- 8.8 High severity
tinacms: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory
Tina is a headless content management system. Prior to version 2.2.2, @tinacms/graphql uses string-based path containment checks in FilesystemBridge. That blocks plain ../ traversal, but it does not resolve symlink or junction targets. If a symlink/junction al
- 8.3 High severity
tinacms: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory
Tina is a headless content management system. Prior to version 2.2.2, @tinacms/cli recently added lexical path-traversal checks to the dev media routes, but the implementation still validates only the path string and does not resolve symlink or junction target
- 7.5 High severity
buildkit: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory
BuildKit is a toolkit for converting source code to build artifacts in an efficient, expressive and repeatable manner. Prior to version 0.28.1, insufficient validation of Git URL fragment subdir components may allow access to files outside the checked-out Git
- 7.8 High severity
OpenClaw: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.25 contain a symlink traversal vulnerability in browser trace and download output path handling that allows local attackers to escape the managed temp root directory. An attacker with local access can create symlinks to route
- 7.5 High severity
OpenClaw: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.22 contain a symlink traversal vulnerability in avatar handling that allows attackers to read arbitrary files outside the configured workspace boundary. Remote attackers can exploit this by requesting avatar resources through
- 8.8 High severity
OpenClaw: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.25 contain a symlink traversal vulnerability in the agents.files.get and agents.files.set methods that allows reading and writing files outside the agent workspace. Attackers can exploit symlinked allowlisted files to access a
- 7.1 High severity
OpenClaw: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.3.2 contain a vulnerability in the stageSandboxMedia function in which it fails to validate destination symlinks during media staging, allowing writes to follow symlinks outside the sandbox workspace. Attackers can exploit this
- 8.8 High severity
Jenkins: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access
Jenkins 2.554 and earlier, LTS 2.541.2 and earlier does not safely handle symbolic links during the extraction of .tar and .tar.gz archives, allowing crafted archives to write files to arbitrary locations on the filesystem, restricted only by file system acces
- 7.8 High severity
himmelblau: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access
Himmelblau is an interoperability suite for Microsoft Azure Entra ID and Intune. Prior to 3.1.0 and 2.3.8, the himmelblaud-tasks daemon, running as root, writes Kerberos cache files under /tmp/krb5cc_<uid> without symlink protections. Since commit 87a51ee, Pri
- 7.5 High severity
WeGIA: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access
WeGIA is a web manager for charitable institutions. In 3.6.5, The patched loadBackupDB() extracts tar.gz archives to a temporary directory using PHP's PharData class, then uses glob() and file_get_contents() to read SQL files from the extracted contents. Neith
- 7.1 High severity
Avira Internet Security: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access
Avira Internet Security contains an improper link resolution vulnerability in the Software Updater component. During the update process, a privileged service running as SYSTEM deletes a file under C:\\ProgramData without validating whether the path resolves th
- 7.8 High severity
BentoML: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access
BentoML is a Python library for building online serving systems optimized for AI apps and model inference. Prior to 1.4.36, the safe_extract_tarfile() function validates that each tar member's path is within the destination directory, but for symlink members i
- 7.8 High severity
Optimizer: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access
Dell Optimizer, versions prior to 6.3.1, contain an Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following') vulnerability. A low privileged attacker with local access could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to Elevation of Privileges.
- 7.1 High severity
Wise Force Deleter: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access
An issue in the WiseDelfile64.sys component of WiseCleaner Wise Force Deleter 7.3.2 and earlier allows attackers to delete arbitrary files via a crafted request.
- 8.4 High severity
Android: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access
In multiple locations, there is a possible way to delete media without the MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission due to an intent redirect. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not ne
- 7.1 High severity
zed: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access
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 externa
- 7.4 High severity
Pcmanager: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access
A privilege escalation (PE) vulnerability in the Tencent PC Manager app thru 17.10.28554.205 on Windows devices enables a local user to execute programs with elevated privileges. However, execution requires that the local user is able to successfully exploit a
- 7.4 High severity
Ioa: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access
A privilege escalation (PE) vulnerability in the Tencent iOA app thru 210.9.28693.621001 on Windows devices enables a local user to execute programs with elevated privileges. However, execution requires that the local user is able to successfully exploit a rac
- 7.8 High severity
FBackup: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access
A security flaw has been discovered in Softland FBackup up to 9.9. This impacts an unknown function in the library C:\Program Files\Common Files\microsoft shared\ink\HID.dll of the component Backup/Restore. The manipulation results in link following. The attac
- 8.5 High severity
Personal Backup: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access
Intego Personal Backup, a macOS backup utility that allows users to create scheduled backups and bootable system clones, contains a local privilege escalation vulnerability. Backup task definitions are stored in a location writable by non-privileged users whil
- 9.8 Critical severity
QTS: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access
A link following vulnerability has been reported to affect several QNAP operating system versions. The remote attackers can then exploit the vulnerability to traverse the file system to unintended locations. We have already fixed the vulnerability in the follo
- 7.1 High severity
FortiClientWindows: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access
An Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following') vulnerability [CWE-59] vulnerability in Fortinet FortiClientWindows 7.4.0 through 7.4.4, FortiClientWindows 7.2.0 through 7.2.12, FortiClientWindows 7.0 all versions may allow a local low-privil
- 7.8 High severity
compressing: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access
Compressing is a compressing and uncompressing lib for node. In version 2.0.0 and 1.10.3 and prior, Compressing extracts TAR archives while restoring symbolic links without validating their targets. By embedding symlinks that resolve outside the intended extra
- 7.1 High severity
DEX: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access
Improper Link Resolution Before File Access (invoked by 1E‑Explorer‑TachyonCore‑DeleteFileByPath instruction) in TeamViewer DEX - 1E Client before version 26.1 on Windows allows a low‑privileged local attacker to delete protected system files via a crafted RPC
- 8.2 High severity
node-tar: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory
node-tar,a Tar for Node.js, contains a vulnerability in versions prior to 7.5.7 where the security check for hardlink entries uses different path resolution semantics than the actual hardlink creation logic. This mismatch allows an attacker to craft a maliciou
- 7.1 High severity
backstage: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory
Backstage is an open framework for building developer portals. Multiple Scaffolder actions and archive extraction utilities were vulnerable to symlink-based path traversal attacks. An attacker with access to create and execute Scaffolder templates could exploi
- 7.8 High severity
Windows 11 Version 24H2: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access
Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Host Process for Windows Tasks allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
- 7.3 High severity
Free Backup: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access
MSP360 Free Backup Link Following Local Privilege Escalation Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows local attackers to escalate privileges on affected installations of MSP360 Free Backup. An attacker must first obtain the ability to execute low-privileged co
- 7.8 High severity
Zillya Total Security: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access
Zillya Total Security 3.0.2367.0 contains a privilege escalation vulnerability that allows low-privileged users to copy files to unauthorized system locations using the quarantine module. Attackers can leverage symbolic link techniques to restore quarantined f
- 7.8 High severity
Total Security: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access
A local privilege escalation vulnerability in Bitdefender Total Security versions prior to 27.0.47.241 allows low-privileged attackers to elevate privileges. The issue arises from bdservicehost.exe deleting files from a user-writable directory (C:\ProgramData\
- 7.5 High severity
argo-workflows: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access
Argo Workflows is an open source container-native workflow engine for orchestrating parallel jobs on Kubernetes. Versions 3.6.13 and below and versions 3.7.0 through 3.7.4, contain unsafe untar code that handles symbolic links in archives. Concretely, the comp
- 7.3 High severity
Dell Encryption: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access
Dell Encryption, versions prior to 11.12.1, contain an Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following') vulnerability. A local malicious user could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to Elevation of privileges.
- 8.6 High severity
static-web-server: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access
Static Web Server (SWS) is a production-ready web server suitable for static web files or assets. Versions 2.40.0 and below contain symbolic links (symlinks) which can be used to access files or directories outside the intended web root folder. SWS generally d
- 7.7 High severity
Aquarius: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access
Aquarius Desktop 3.0.069 for macOS contains an insecure file handling vulnerability in its support data archive generation feature. The application follows symbolic links placed inside the ~/Library/Logs/Aquarius directory and treats them as regular files. Whe
- 8.5 High severity
Remote Assist: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access
JumpCloud Remote Assist for Windows versions prior to 0.317.0 include an uninstaller that is invoked by the JumpCloud Windows Agent as NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM during agent uninstall or update operations. The Remote Assist uninstaller performs privileged create, wr
- 7.8 High severity
Microsoft Windows Link Following Exploited
Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Host Process for Windows Tasks allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
- 7.2 High severity
Enterprise Server: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access
A privilege escalation vulnerability was identified in GitHub Enterprise Server that allowed an authenticated Enterprise admin to gain root SSH access to the appliance by exploiting a symlink escape in pre-receive hook environments. By crafting a malicious rep
- 7.8 High severity
Synapse 3: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access
Razer Synapse 3 Chroma Connect Link Following Local Privilege Escalation Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows local attackers to escalate privileges on affected installations of Razer Synapse 3. An attacker must first obtain the ability to execute low-priv
- 7.8 High severity
Synapse 3: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access
Razer Synapse 3 RazerPhilipsHueUninstall Link Following Local Privilege Escalation Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows local attackers to escalate privileges on affected installations of Razer Synapse 3. An attacker must first obtain the ability to execut
- 7.8 High severity
Synapse 3: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access
Razer Synapse 3 Macro Module Link Following Local Privilege Escalation Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows local attackers to escalate privileges on affected installations of Razer Synapse 3. An attacker must first obtain the ability to execute low-privil