GHSA-qjrq-cvv4-3g9w: Duplicate Advisory Path Traversal Vulnerability

HIGH
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CVSS 8.8
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

GHSA-qjrq-cvv4-3g9w is a HIGH (CVSS 8.8) path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Duplicate Advisory libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves knowns unrestricted path traversal leading to out-of-bounds arbitrary .md file read, write, and deletion in mcp docs + memory tools. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

GHSA-qjrq-cvv4-3g9w at a Glance

CVE Identifier N/A
GHSA Identifier GHSA-qjrq-cvv4-3g9w
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.8
CWE Classification CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Affected Product Duplicate Advisory
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.8

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:H/I:H/A:H).

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 High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix GHSA-qjrq-cvv4-3g9w

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

knowns fixed: Latest secure release 
npm install knowns@Latest secure release
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

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

npm ls knowns

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by GHSA-qjrq-cvv4-3g9w, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls knowns

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

Note: The npm ls knowns command inspects dependencies declared in your package.json and lockfile; it does not perform automated runtime dynamic scanning.

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 Duplicate Advisory, 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

## Duplicate Advisory This advisory has been withdrawn because it is a duplicate of GHSA-9gfj-28hw-jchp. This link is maintained to preserve external references. ## Original Advisory knowns versions before 0.30.0 fail to validate filesystem paths in MCP tool arguments, allowing attackers to read, create, overwrite and delete files outside the project directory. Attackers can supply path arguments containing directory traversal sequences to access arbitrary Markdown files accessible to the server process.

GHSA-qjrq-cvv4-3g9w Affected Duplicate Advisory Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
knowns
npm/knowns
npm

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/knowns-dev/knowns/security/advisories/GHSA-9gfj-28hw-jchp
NVD — GHSA-qjrq-cvv4-3g9w NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-86439
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/knowns-dev/knowns/commit/09c5a96fd5817b941dc86669278c1a17db10ed4e
Duplicate Advisory Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/knowns-dev/knowns/blob/v0.29.1/internal/storage/doc_store.go#L124-L129
Duplicate Advisory Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/knowns-dev/knowns/blob/v0.29.1/internal/storage/memory_store.go#L203-L211
Duplicate Advisory Release RELEASE
https://github.com/knowns-dev/knowns/releases/tag/v0.30.0
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/knowns-b... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/knowns-before-0.30.0-path-traversal-via-mcp-doc-and-memory-tools

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GHSA-qjrq-cvv4-3g9w?
GHSA-qjrq-cvv4-3g9w is a security vulnerability in Duplicate Advisory involving Knowns Unrestricted Path Traversal leading to out-of-bounds arbitrary .md file read, write, and deletion in MCP Docs + Memory Tools under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which Duplicate Advisory versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: knowns.
What version fixes GHSA-qjrq-cvv4-3g9w?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is knowns affected?
Yes, knowns is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
What is the CVSS score of GHSA-qjrq-cvv4-3g9w?
GHSA-qjrq-cvv4-3g9w has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with GHSA-qjrq-cvv4-3g9w?
GHSA-qjrq-cvv4-3g9w 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 npm dependencies for GHSA-qjrq-cvv4-3g9w?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls knowns'. 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-qjrq-cvv4-3g9w",
  "modified" : "2026-09-25T17:25:51Z",
  "published" : "2026-09-08T00:30:22Z",
  "withdrawn" : "2026-09-25T17:25:51Z",
  "aliases" : [ ],
  "summary" : "Duplicate Advisory: Knowns Unrestricted Path Traversal leading to out-of-bounds arbitrary .md file read, write, and deletion in MCP Docs + Memory Tools",
  "details" : "## Duplicate Advisory\nThis advisory has been withdrawn because it is a duplicate of GHSA-9gfj-28hw-jchp. This link is maintained to preserve external references.\n\n## Original Advisory\n\nknowns versions before 0.30.0 fail to validate filesystem paths in MCP tool arguments, allowing attackers to read, create, overwrite and delete files outside the project directory. Attackers can supply path arguments containing directory traversal sequences to access arbitrary Markdown files accessible to the server process.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "knowns"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "< 0.30.0"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/knowns-dev/knowns/security/advisories/GHSA-9gfj-28hw-jchp"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-86439"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/knowns-dev/knowns/commit/09c5a96fd5817b941dc86669278c1a17db10ed4e"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/knowns-dev/knowns/blob/v0.29.1/internal/storage/doc_store.go#L124-L129"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/knowns-dev/knowns/blob/v0.29.1/internal/storage/memory_store.go#L203-L211"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/knowns-dev/knowns/releases/tag/v0.30.0"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/knowns-before-0.30.0-path-traversal-via-mcp-doc-and-memory-tools"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-09-25T17:25:51Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-09-07T23:16:53Z"
  }
}