CVE-2026-59820: LiteLLM Path Traversal Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-5jmr-gcrj-2c9q
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CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-59820 is a MODERATE path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting LiteLLM libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves arbitrary file write via path traversal in skills archive extraction. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.83.7.

CVE-2026-59820 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-59820
GHSA Identifier GHSA-5jmr-gcrj-2c9q
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Affected Product LiteLLM
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2026-59820

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

litellm fixed: 1.83.7 
pip install litellm>=1.83.7
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 litellm

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2026-59820, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show litellm

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of LiteLLM in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.83.7), your application is affected.

Note: The pip show litellm 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 LiteLLM, 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

### Impact LiteLLM Skills archive extraction did not sufficiently validate file paths from uploaded skill ZIP archives. An authenticated user with access to LiteLLM LLM API routes, or a key whose `allowed_routes` includes `/v1/skills`, `anthropic_routes`, or `llm_api_routes`, could upload a crafted skill archive containing path traversal entries. When the skill was processed for execution, those entries could be written outside the intended extraction/staging directory. This could allow arbitrary file write and may lead to code execution depending on deployment configuration and writable paths. ### Patches The issue is fixed in `1.83.7-stable`. LiteLLM recommens upgrading to `1.83.7-stable` or later. ### Workarounds If upgrading is not immediately possible: 1. Block `POST /v1/skills` at your reverse proxy or API gateway. 2. Restrict Skills API access to trusted users only.

CVE-2026-59820 Affected LiteLLM Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.83.7
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
litellm
pypi/litellm
PyPI
< 1.83.7
1.83.7

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/BerriAI/litellm/security/advisories/GHSA-5jmr-gcrj-2c9q
NVD — CVE-2026-59820 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-59820
LiteLLM Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/BerriAI/litellm/pull/25475
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/BerriAI/litellm/commit/6a15adcd64137d37f73dee76dfe7481f8c2d9196
LiteLLM Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/BerriAI/litellm
LiteLLM Release RELEASE
https://github.com/BerriAI/litellm/releases/tag/v1.83.7-stable

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-59820?
CVE-2026-59820 is a security vulnerability in LiteLLM involving Arbitrary file write via path traversal in Skills archive extraction under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which LiteLLM versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.83.7 across affected packages: litellm.
What version fixes CVE-2026-59820?
Upgrading to 1.83.7 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is litellm affected?
Yes, litellm is affected in releases prior to 1.83.7. Upgrade your dependency to 1.83.7 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-59820?
CVE-2026-59820 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-2026-59820?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show litellm'. 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-5jmr-gcrj-2c9q",
  "modified" : "2026-07-22T22:37:15Z",
  "published" : "2026-07-22T22:37:15Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-59820" ],
  "summary" : "LiteLLM: Arbitrary file write via path traversal in Skills archive extraction",
  "details" : "### Impact\n\nLiteLLM Skills archive extraction did not sufficiently validate file paths from uploaded skill ZIP archives. An authenticated user with access to LiteLLM LLM API routes, or a key whose `allowed_routes` includes `/v1/skills`, `anthropic_routes`, or `llm_api_routes`, could upload a crafted skill archive containing path traversal entries.\n\nWhen the skill was processed for execution, those entries could be written outside the intended extraction/staging directory. This could allow arbitrary file write and may lead to code execution depending on deployment configuration and writable paths.\n\n### Patches\n\nThe issue is fixed in `1.83.7-stable`.\n\nLiteLLM recommens upgrading to `1.83.7-stable` or later.\n\n### Workarounds\n\nIf upgrading is not immediately possible:\n\n1. Block `POST /v1/skills` at your reverse proxy or API gateway.\n2. Restrict Skills API access to trusted users only.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "litellm"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.83.7"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/BerriAI/litellm/security/advisories/GHSA-5jmr-gcrj-2c9q"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-59820"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/BerriAI/litellm/pull/25475"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/BerriAI/litellm/commit/6a15adcd64137d37f73dee76dfe7481f8c2d9196"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/BerriAI/litellm"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/BerriAI/litellm/releases/tag/v1.83.7-stable"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-07-22T22:37:15Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-07-08T20:16:57Z"
  }
}