CVE-2026-38993: Cockpit hq/cockpit Path Traversal Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-p46p-7pmj-m34f
Share
CVSS 6.5
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-38993 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.5) path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Cockpit hq/cockpit libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves cockpit is vulnerable to directory traversal. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.14.0.

CVE-2026-38993 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-38993
GHSA Identifier GHSA-p46p-7pmj-m34f
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 Cockpit hq/cockpit
Package Ecosystem Packagist
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:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N).

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

How to Fix CVE-2026-38993

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

cockpit-hq/cockpit fixed: 2.14.0 
Upgrade cockpit-hq/cockpit to 2.14.0
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

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

inspect dependencies for cockpit-hq/cockpit

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2026-38993, inspect your project dependencies for Cockpit hq/cockpit:

inspect dependencies for cockpit-hq/cockpit

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Cockpit hq/cockpit in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.14.0), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

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 Cockpit hq/cockpit, 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

Cockpit 2.13.5 and earlier is vulnerable to directory traversal via the Buckets component. This vulnerability allows authenticated attackers to write files to arbitrary locations within the uploads directory or overwrite assets with malicious versions.

CVE-2026-38993 Affected Cockpit hq/cockpit Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.14.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
cockpit-hq/cockpit
 Packagist
< 2.14.0
2.14.0

References

NVD — CVE-2026-38993 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-38993
felsec.com/posts/cockpit-cms-2... WEB
https://felsec.com/posts/cockpit-cms-2.13.5-multi-vulns
Cockpit hq/cockpit Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/Cockpit-HQ/Cockpit
Cockpit hq/cockpit Release RELEASE
https://github.com/Cockpit-HQ/Cockpit/releases/tag/2.14.0

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-38993?
CVE-2026-38993 is a security vulnerability in Cockpit hq/cockpit involving Cockpit is vulnerable to directory traversal under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which Cockpit hq/cockpit versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.14.0 across affected packages: cockpit-hq/cockpit.
What version fixes CVE-2026-38993?
Upgrading to 2.14.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is cockpit-hq/cockpit affected?
Yes, cockpit-hq/cockpit is affected in releases prior to 2.14.0. Upgrade your dependency to 2.14.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-38993?
CVE-2026-38993 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-38993?
CVE-2026-38993 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 Packagist dependencies for CVE-2026-38993?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for cockpit-hq/cockpit'. 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-p46p-7pmj-m34f",
  "modified" : "2026-05-06T23:05:00Z",
  "published" : "2026-04-29T18:31:34Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-38993" ],
  "summary" : "Cockpit is vulnerable to directory traversal",
  "details" : "Cockpit 2.13.5 and earlier is vulnerable to directory traversal via the Buckets component. This vulnerability allows authenticated attackers to write files to arbitrary locations within the uploads directory or overwrite assets with malicious versions.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "cockpit-hq/cockpit"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.14.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-38993"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://felsec.com/posts/cockpit-cms-2.13.5-multi-vulns"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/Cockpit-HQ/Cockpit"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/Cockpit-HQ/Cockpit/releases/tag/2.14.0"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-05-06T23:05:00Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-04-29T16:16:23Z"
  }
}