CVE-2026-66007: Datasets Path Traversal Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-379c-qx7v-6h59
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CVSS 6.5
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-66007 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.5) path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Datasets libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves hugging face datasets folder-based builders allow path traversal through file_name metadata. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 5.0.1.

CVE-2026-66007 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-66007
GHSA Identifier GHSA-379c-qx7v-6h59
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.5
CWE Classification CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Affected Product Datasets
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2026-66007

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Datasets dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

datasets fixed: 5.0.1 
pip install datasets>=5.0.1
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

pip show datasets

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2026-66007, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show datasets

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Datasets in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 5.0.1), your application is affected.

Note: The pip show datasets command checks currently installed packages in your active Python environment.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal'), where 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. In Datasets, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

Datasets through 5.0.0, fixed in f989ef9, contains a path traversal vulnerability in folder-based dataset builders where the file_name metadata field is not properly validated before being joined to the dataset directory. Attackers can supply crafted file_name values with directory traversal sequences to read arbitrary local files, which are then embedded into output when save_to_disk or push_to_hub is called.

CVE-2026-66007 Affected Datasets Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
5.0.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
datasets
pypi/datasets
PyPI
< 5.0.1
5.0.1

References

NVD — CVE-2026-66007 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-66007
Datasets Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/huggingface/datasets/issues/8324
Datasets Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/huggingface/datasets/pull/8325
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/huggingface/datasets/commit/f989ef9b4cc6c0039a7a82458eebca49e2b58b4b
Datasets Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/huggingface/datasets
Datasets Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/datasets/PYSEC-2026-3716.yaml
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/datasets... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/datasets-path-traversal-via-unsanitized-file-name-metadata

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-66007?
CVE-2026-66007 is a security vulnerability in Datasets involving Hugging Face Datasets folder-based builders allow path traversal through file_name metadata under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which Datasets versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 5.0.1 across affected packages: datasets.
What version fixes CVE-2026-66007?
Upgrading to 5.0.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is datasets affected?
Yes, datasets is affected in releases prior to 5.0.1. Upgrade your dependency to 5.0.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-66007?
CVE-2026-66007 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-66007?
CVE-2026-66007 is classified under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') (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 can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2026-66007?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show datasets'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-379c-qx7v-6h59",
  "modified" : "2026-10-02T22:43:34Z",
  "published" : "2026-07-24T15:33:03Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-66007" ],
  "summary" : "Hugging Face Datasets folder-based builders allow path traversal through file_name metadata",
  "details" : "Datasets through 5.0.0, fixed in f989ef9, contains a path traversal vulnerability in folder-based dataset builders where the file_name metadata field is not properly validated before being joined to the dataset directory. Attackers can supply crafted file_name values with directory traversal sequences to read arbitrary local files, which are then embedded into output when save_to_disk or push_to_hub is called.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "datasets"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "5.0.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-66007"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/huggingface/datasets/issues/8324"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/huggingface/datasets/pull/8325"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/huggingface/datasets/commit/f989ef9b4cc6c0039a7a82458eebca49e2b58b4b"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/huggingface/datasets"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/datasets/PYSEC-2026-3716.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/datasets-path-traversal-via-unsanitized-file-name-metadata"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-10-02T22:43:34Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-07-24T15:19:07Z"
  }
}