CVE-2026-91200 in DevSpace
Summary
by MITRE • 09/15/2026
DevSpace through 6.3.21 fails to reject parent-directory segments in tar entry names from the in-pod sync stream. Attackers operating a malicious container can stream tar entries with traversal sequences to write arbitrary files on the developer workstation, enabling code execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/15/2026
The vulnerability identified in DevSpace versions through 6.3.21 represents a critical path traversal flaw within its in-pod synchronization mechanism. This component is designed to facilitate file transfers between a local development environment and containers running inside a Kubernetes cluster or similar orchestration platform. The core technical failure lies in the insufficient validation of tar archive entry names during the extraction process on the host machine. Specifically, the software fails to reject parent-directory traversal sequences, such as ../, embedded within the filenames contained in the incoming tar stream. This oversight allows an attacker who has gained control over a container or can inject malicious content into the sync stream to manipulate the destination path of extracted files. By carefully crafting tar entries with relative paths that escape the intended target directory, the synchronization tool writes these files to arbitrary locations on the developer's workstation file system rather than confining them to the designated project root or sandboxed area.
From a security architecture perspective, this flaw violates fundamental principles of input validation and path canonicalization expected in secure coding practices. The absence of strict sanitization for directory traversal characters enables an unauthorized actor to overwrite critical system files, configuration settings, or executable binaries located outside the intended scope. This capability directly facilitates arbitrary code execution on the developer's machine. Once a malicious file is written to a location where it can be executed or sourced by trusted processes, the attacker achieves remote code execution with the privileges of the user running DevSpace. This scenario poses severe risks including data exfiltration, installation of persistent backdoors, and potential pivoting into other networked systems if the developer workstation serves as an entry point to more sensitive infrastructure.
This vulnerability aligns closely with Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) categories such as CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory, which describes issues where software does not properly neutralize path sequences that can resolve to a parent directory or outside the intended restricted location. Furthermore, in terms of tactical mapping within the MITRE ATT&CK framework, this exploit technique corresponds to T1059: Command and Scripting Interpreter for initial access via file execution, and potentially T1036: Masquerading if the attacker attempts to disguise malicious files as legitimate system artifacts. The attack vector is classified as remote with local prerequisites, meaning an adversary must first compromise a container or service that interacts with DevSpace's sync feature to leverage this flaw effectively.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily involve upgrading to patched versions of DevSpace where 6.3.21 and later releases have implemented proper validation logic to strip or reject path traversal sequences before processing tar entries. Organizations relying on older, unpatched instances should immediately isolate affected development environments from sensitive networks until an upgrade is feasible. Additionally, developers can employ defense-in-depth measures by running DevSpace within a restricted user account with minimal file system permissions, thereby limiting the impact of any successful write operations to non-critical directories. Implementing strict network segmentation and monitoring for unusual file creation patterns in project root directories can also aid in early detection of such exploitation attempts while patch management processes are underway.