CVE-2026-103870 in Satellite
Summary
by MITRE • 10/07/2026
A flaw was found in pulp-rpm when it publishes a distribution tree. Addon and variant ids from .treeinfo are used as directory names. A user who can sync or upload that tree can make the publish task create a new directory outside the task work area and write that tree's repository metadata and packages there, as the Pulp worker user. An existing file or directory is not replaced. The flaw does not disclose data and does not stop the service.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/07/2026
The vulnerability identified in pulp-rpm represents a critical path traversal issue arising from improper validation of input parameters during the publication of distribution trees. Specifically, the software utilizes addon and variant identifiers extracted directly from .treeinfo files as directory names without sufficient sanitization or boundary checks. This design flaw allows an authenticated user with permissions to synchronize or upload content to manipulate the file system structure beyond intended limits. When a publish task is executed, the application constructs paths using these unsanitized identifiers, which can include relative path sequences such as dot-dot-slash characters. Consequently, instead of creating directories within the designated work area for the specific task, the worker process creates new directories at arbitrary locations on the file system where it has write permissions.
This behavior constitutes a classic directory traversal vulnerability that enables unauthorized file system modification. The operational impact is significant because an attacker can effectively place repository metadata and package files in unintended locations outside the secure sandbox of the publish operation. Since existing files or directories are not overwritten, this flaw does not result in data disclosure nor does it cause service denial by crashing the application. However, the ability to write arbitrary content into specific system paths poses a severe risk for further exploitation. An attacker could potentially place malicious configuration files or scripts that might be executed later if other services read from those locations, thereby escalating privileges or achieving remote code execution depending on the broader system architecture and subsequent usage of these files.
From a classification perspective, this flaw aligns with CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory, which covers scenarios where software does not properly neutralize special elements within file paths that could resolve to unintended destinations. In terms of the MITRE ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability facilitates lateral movement and persistence mechanisms by allowing an adversary to write files in unexpected locations, potentially bypassing standard access controls associated with specific application directories. The lack of replacement for existing files indicates a design choice that prioritizes non-destructive operations but inadvertently creates ambiguity regarding which file instance is authoritative, complicating forensic analysis and remediation efforts.
Mitigation strategies must focus on strict input validation and path canonicalization before any directory creation occurs. Developers should enforce allow-listing for addon and variant identifiers to ensure they contain only alphanumeric characters and hyphens, excluding any special symbols or path separators. Additionally implementing absolute path resolution followed by a check against the expected base directory can prevent traversal attacks even if malicious strings are injected. Upgrading to patched versions of pulp-rpm that address this specific logic error is essential for immediate risk reduction. System administrators should also review file system permissions and monitor for unexpected directory creations in areas where Pulp workers operate, ensuring that least privilege principles are strictly applied to the service account running these tasks.