Weakness (CWE)
CWE-426: Untrusted Search Path
The product searches for critical resources using an externally-supplied search path that can point to resources that are not under the product's direct control.
More detail
Some of the most common variants of untrusted search path are:
- In various UNIX and Linux-based systems, the PATH environment variable may be consulted to locate executable programs, and LD_PRELOAD may be used to locate a separate library. Programming languages may have their own paths for locating code, e.g. PERL5LIB in Perl.
- In various Microsoft-based systems, the PATH environment variable is consulted to locate a DLL, if the DLL is not found in other paths that appear earlier in the search order.
How to prevent it (5 mitigations)
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Architecture and Design, Implementation
Hard-code the search path to a set of known-safe values (such as system directories), or only allow them to be specified by the administrator in a configuration file. Do not allow these settings to be modified by an external party. Be careful to avoid related weaknesses such as CWE-426 and CWE-428.
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Implementation
When invoking other programs, specify those programs using fully-qualified pathnames. While this is an effective approach, code that uses fully-qualified pathnames might not be portable to other systems that do not use the same pathnames. The portability can be improved by locating the full-qualified paths in a centralized, easily-modifiable location within the source code, and having the code refer to these paths.
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Implementation
Remove or restrict all environment settings before invoking other programs. This includes the PATH environment variable, LD_LIBRARY_PATH, and other settings that identify the location of code libraries, and any application-specific search paths.
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Implementation
Check your search path before use and remove any elements that are likely to be unsafe, such as the current working directory or a temporary files directory.
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Implementation
Use other functions that require explicit paths. Making use of any of the other readily available functions that require explicit paths is a safe way to avoid this problem. For example, system() in C does not require a full path since the shell can take care of it, while execl() and execv() require a full path.
Source: MITRE CWE-426
260 results · Clear filters · Feed
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High 8.4
Ouroboros: Remote Code Execution via Untrusted Project-Directory .env
Ouroboros is a local-first runtime for AI coding agents that records their actions and applies user-defined policies to constrain behavior. In versions prior to 0.39.0, if a user clones a malicious repository and runs Ouroboros commands within that directory,…
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High 7.0
CheckMAL AppCheck Pro Kernel Mini-Filter Driver AppCheckD.sys uncontrolled search path
A security flaw has been discovered in CheckMAL AppCheck Pro 3.1.43.10. Affected is an unknown function in the library AppCheckD.sys of the component Kernel Mini-Filter Driver. Performing a manipulation results in uncontrolled search path. The attack requires…
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High 8.2
Bridge | Untrusted Search Path (CWE-426)
Bridge is affected by an Untrusted Search Path vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. A low-privileged attacker could exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code. Exploitation of this issue req…
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High 8.6
Bridge | Untrusted Search Path (CWE-426)
Bridge is affected by an Untrusted Search Path vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code. Exploitation of this issue requires user int…
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High 8.8
Cursor for Windows 3.2.16 RCE via Malicious git.exe in Workspace
Cursor for Windows version 3.2.16 contains a binary planting vulnerability that allows remote attackers to achieve arbitrary code execution by placing a malicious git.exe file in the repository root directory. When a developer clones and opens a crafted repos…
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High 7.4
CAI Content Credentials | Untrusted Search Path (CWE-426)
CAI Content Credentials is affected by an Untrusted Search Path vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. Exploit depends on conditions beyond the attacker's control. Exploitation of this issue requires us…
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High 8.6
Illustrator | Untrusted Search Path (CWE-426)
Illustrator is affected by an Untrusted Search Path vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. Exploitation of this issue requires user interaction in that a victim must open a malicious file. Scope is chan…
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High 7.9
Animate | Untrusted Search Path (CWE-426)
Animate is affected by an Untrusted Search Path vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. Exploitation of this issue requires user interaction in that a victim must open a malicious file. Scope is changed.
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High 7.0
Tencent PC Manager QMUDisk Driver qmudisk64.sys uncontrolled search path
A security vulnerability has been detected in Tencent PC Manager 18.1.30242.301. This issue affects some unknown processing in the library qmudisk64.sys of the component QMUDisk Driver. The manipulation leads to uncontrolled search path. The attack must be ca…
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High 7.5
App::Ack versions through 3.10.0 for Perl read arbitrary files via --files-from in a project .ackrc
App::Ack versions through 3.10.0 for Perl read arbitrary files via --files-from in a project .ackrc. ack searches up the directory hierarchy from the current directory for a project .ackrc and loads its options. The project-source option blocklist in App::Ack…
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High 7.7
Untrusted Search Path
Untrusted Search Path vulnerability in B&R Industrial Automation GmbH APROL. This issue affects APROL: before R 4.4-01P5.
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High 7.8
PBackupVSS.exe in Matrix42 Empirum before 25.5 and 26.x before 26.2 creates a named pipe (\\.\pipe\PBackupVSS) with a D…
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High 7.5
Notepad++: Privilege Escalation in the Installer via Uncontrolled Executable Search Path
Notepad++ is a free and open-source source code editor. From 8.9.4 until 8.9.6, Notepad++ contains a local privilege escalation vulnerability in the installer. During installation, the installer invokes powershell.exe without using an absolute path after sett…
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High 7.1
OpenClaw < 2026.5.2 - Arbitrary Command Execution via Workspace-Derived Service PATH
OpenClaw before 2026.5.2 contains a path traversal vulnerability in maintenance task execution that allows workspace-derived service paths to influence trash command selection. Attackers can execute unintended local executables from operator-unintended paths …
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High 7.1
OpenClaw < 2026.5.2 - Arbitrary Runtime Dependency Loading via STATE_DIRECTORY Environment Variable
OpenClaw before 2026.5.2 contains an environment variable injection vulnerability where workspace .env STATE_DIRECTORY could influence bundled runtime dependency roots. Attackers can manipulate the STATE_DIRECTORY variable to load runtime dependencies from un…
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High 7.1
OpenClaw < 2026.4.29 - Arbitrary Package Manager Execution via Workspace .env npm_execpath
OpenClaw before 2026.4.29 contains a path traversal vulnerability in the install helper that allows workspace .env files to override the npm_execpath configuration used for bundled runtime dependency installation. Attackers with workspace access can execute u…
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High 7.1
OpenClaw < 2026.5.2 - Arbitrary Python Runtime Execution via CLOUDSDK_PYTHON Environment Variable
OpenClaw before 2026.5.2 contains an environment variable injection vulnerability allowing workspace .env files to influence Python runtime selection through CLOUDSDK_PYTHON during Gmail setup gcloud execution. Attackers with repository access can manipulate …
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High 8.8
OpenClaw < 2026.5.27 - Arbitrary Homebrew Executable Execution via Workspace .env Override
OpenClaw before 2026.5.27 contains an arbitrary code execution vulnerability in skill install flows where workspace .env files can override the Homebrew executable selection. Attackers with access to trusted operator workspaces can execute unintended Homebrew…
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High 7.8
Windows Narrator Braille Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
Untrusted search path in Windows Narrator Braille allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
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High 7.0
Windows Storage Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
Untrusted search path in Windows Storage allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
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High 7.8
Local Privilege Escalation via Dynamic Library Injection in Waves Central for macOS
Waves Central for macOS versions 13.0.9 through 16.5.5 contain a local privilege escalation vulnerability. A trusted XPC client component included with the product is signed with hardened runtime entitlements that permit dynamic library injection. A local att…
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High 8.0
Privilege Escalation in AWS Advanced Go Wrapper for Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL
An untrusted search path issue in the GlobalDatabasePlugin in the AWS Advanced Go Wrapper for Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL will allow a remote authenticated low-privilege actor to escalate privileges to those of another Amazon RDS user, including rds_superuser, v…
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High 8.0
Privilege Escalation in AWS Advanced JDBC Wrapper for Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL
An untrusted search path issue in the GlobalDatabasePlugin in the AWS Advanced JDBC Wrapper for Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL will allow a remote authenticated low-privilege actor to escalate privileges to those of another Amazon RDS user, including rds_superuser,…
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High 7.8
Untrusted search path in the installer for Zoom Rooms for Windows before version 7.0.0 may allow an authenticated user …
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High 7.8
OpenClaw < 2026.3.24 - Environment Variable Injection via Workspace Config in CLI Backend
OpenClaw before 2026.3.24 contains an environment variable injection vulnerability in the CLI backend runner that allows attackers to inject malicious environment variables through workspace configuration. Attackers can craft malicious workspace configs to in…
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High 7.2
uutils coreutils chroot Local Privilege Escalation and chroot Escape in via Name Service Switch (NSS) Injection
A vulnerability exists in the chroot utility of uutils coreutils when using the --userspec option. The utility resolves the user specification via getpwnam() after entering the chroot but before dropping root privileges. On glibc-based systems, this can trigg…
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High 8.6
OpenClaw < 2026.3.28 - Environment Variable Injection via CWD .env File
OpenClaw before 2026.3.28 loads the current working directory .env file before trusted state-dir configuration, allowing environment variable injection. Attackers can place a malicious .env file in a repository or workspace to override runtime configuration a…
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High 7.0CVE-2026-6421 Public exploit
Mobatek MobaXterm Home Edition msimg32.dll uncontrolled search path
A vulnerability has been found in Mobatek MobaXterm Home Edition up to 26.1. This affects an unknown part in the library msimg32.dll. The manipulation leads to uncontrolled search path. An attack has to be approached locally. The attack is considered to have …
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High 8.6
Adobe Framemaker | Untrusted Search Path (CWE-426)
Adobe Framemaker versions 2022.8 and earlier are affected by an Untrusted Search Path vulnerability that might allow attackers to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user. If the application uses a search path to locate critical resources suc…
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High 8.4
PraisonAI has RCE via Automatic tools.py Import
PraisonAI is a multi-agent teams system. Versions 4.5.138 and below are vulnerable to arbitrary code execution through automatic, unsanitized import of a tools.py file from the current working directory. Components including call.py (import_tools_from_file())…
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High 7.8
PraisonAI Affected by Implicit Execution of Arbitrary Code via Automatic `tools.py` Loading
PraisonAI is a multi-agent teams system. Prior to 4.5.128, PraisonAI automatically loads a file named tools.py from the current working directory to discover and register custom agent tools. This loading process uses importlib.util.spec_from_file_location and…
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High 7.8
OpenClaw < 2026.3.24 - Arbitrary Code Execution via .npmrc in Local Plugin/Hook Installation
OpenClaw before 2026.3.24 contains an arbitrary code execution vulnerability in local plugin and hook installation that allows attackers to execute malicious code by crafting a .npmrc file with a git executable override. During npm install execution in the st…
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High 7.3CVE-2026-39883 Public exploit
OpenTelemetry-Go has an incomplete fix for CVE-2026-24051: BSD kenv command not using absolute path enables PATH hijacking
OpenTelemetry-Go is the Go implementation of OpenTelemetry. From 1.15.0 to 1.42.0, the fix for CVE-2026-24051 changed the Darwin ioreg command to use an absolute path but left the BSD kenv command using a bare name, allowing the same PATH hijacking attack on …
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High 7.3
Hirschmann Industrial HiVision External Application Path Hijacking Leading to Arbitrary Code Execution
Hirschmann Industrial HiVision version 08.1.03 prior to 08.1.04 and 08.2.00 contains a vulnerability in the execution of user-configured external applications that allows a local attacker to execute arbitrary binaries. Due to insufficient path sanitization, a…
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High 7.3
Foxit PDF Editor/Reader Installer Uncontrolled Search Path Privilege Escalation
The application's installer runs with elevated privileges but resolves system executables and DLLs using untrusted search paths that can include user-writable directories, allowing a local attacker to place malicious binaries with the same names and have them…
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High 7.0
UltraVNC Service version.dll uncontrolled search path
A security flaw has been discovered in UltraVNC up to 1.6.4.0. Affected by this issue is some unknown functionality in the library version.dll of the component Service. The manipulation results in uncontrolled search path. The attack needs to be approached lo…
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High 7.0
Flos Freeware Notepad2 TextShaping.dll uncontrolled search path
A weakness has been identified in Flos Freeware Notepad2 4.2.25. This impacts an unknown function in the library TextShaping.dll. Executing a manipulation can lead to uncontrolled search path. The attack is restricted to local execution. The attack requires a…
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High 7.0
Flos Freeware Notepad2 PROPSYS.dll uncontrolled search path
A security flaw has been discovered in Flos Freeware Notepad2 4.2.25. This affects an unknown function in the library PROPSYS.dll. Performing a manipulation results in uncontrolled search path. The attack is only possible with local access. The attack is cons…
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High 7.8
DLL Sideloading in ScreenToGif
ScreenToGif is a screen recording tool. In versions from 2.42.1 and prior, ScreenToGif is vulnerable to DLL sideloading via version.dll . When the portable executable is run from a user-writable directory, it loads version.dll from the application directory i…
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High 7.8
OpenClaw < 2026.2.22 - Arbitrary Shell Execution via Unvalidated SHELL Environment Variable
OpenClaw versions prior to 2026.2.22 contain an arbitrary shell execution vulnerability in shell environment fallback that trusts the unvalidated SHELL path from the host environment. An attacker with local environment access can inject a malicious SHELL vari…