CVE-2026-53422
Observable Response Discrepancy vulnerability in Erlang OTP ssh (ssh_sftpd module) allows an authenticated SFTP user to enumerate the existence of files and directories outside the configured root directory. The SSH_FXP_REALPATH handler in ssh_sftpd calls relate_file_name/3 with Canonicalize=false, unlike every other SFTP operation handler. This allows .. components in the requested path to bypass the is_within_root/2 check without being resolved. The un-canonicalized path then enters resolve_symlinks/2, which walks up the directory tree above the configured root and issues read_link() syscalls on arbitrary filesystem paths. An authenticated SFTP client can exploit this by sending a REALPATH request with a crafted traversal path. The server response differs depending on whether the target path exists on the host filesystem (SSH_FXP_NAME when the path resolves successfully, SSH_FX_NO_SUCH_FILE when it does not). This creates a path-existence oracle that an attacker can use to enumerate the filesystem structure outside the configured root, including the existence of sensitive files, directories, and mount points. The vulnerability leaks only the existence of paths. No file contents,
Weakness
Observable Response Discrepancy vulnerability in Erlang OTP ssh (ssh_sftpd module) allows an authenticated SFTP user to enumerate the existence of files and directories outside the configured root directory. The SSH_FXP_REALPATH handler in ssh_sftpd calls relate_file_name/3 with Canonicalize=false, unlike every other SFTP operation handler. This allows .. components in the requested path to bypass the is_within_root/2 check without being resolved. The un-canonicalized path then enters resolve_symlinks/2, which walks up the directory tree above the configured root and issues read_link() syscalls on arbitrary filesystem paths. An authenticated SFTP client can exploit this by sending a REALPATH request with a crafted traversal path. The server response differs depending on whether the target path exists on the host filesystem (SSH_FXP_NAME when the path resolves successfully, SSH_FX_NO_SUCH_FILE when it does not). This creates a path-existence oracle that an attacker can use to enumerate the filesystem structure outside the configured root, including the existence of sensitive files, directories, and mount points. The vulnerability leaks only the existence of paths. No file contents,
Affected products
- erlang erlang\/otp
- erlang erlang\/ssh
References
- https://cna.erlef.org/cves/CVE-2026-53422.html
- https://github.com/erlang/otp/commit/059e5785ef8c1d423820ca633fb7b37f47645172
- https://github.com/erlang/otp/commit/86622cfaacf57a02c7645d1999f946846b504c94
- https://github.com/erlang/otp/commit/c5a8f50ae68888ff243c5c741a06d2b3a4b48b7a
- https://github.com/erlang/otp/security/advisories/GHSA-h9pw-h5w4-h976
- https://osv.dev/vulnerability/EEF-CVE-2026-53422
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