CVE-2026-25965
Path Traversal in Imagemagick ≤ 6.9.13-40
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:NCVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.
Summary
CVE-2026-25965 is a high-severity Path Traversal (CWE-22) vulnerability in Imagemagick Imagemagick. Its CVSS base score is 8.6 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked at the 49th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to AC-3 (Access Enforcement) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2026-25965 is a path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22) in ImageMagick, a free and open-source software suite for editing and manipulating digital images. In versions prior to 7.1.2-15 and 6.9.13-40, ImageMagick's path security policy is applied to the raw filename string before filesystem resolution. This allows attackers to bypass policy rules, such as those denying access to /etc/*, by using traversal sequences like "../". The operating system resolves the traversal to open sensitive files, while the policy matcher only evaluates the unnormalized path, permitting unauthorized reads.
The vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.6 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N), indicating high severity with network accessibility, low attack complexity, no privileges or user interaction required, and scope change leading to high confidentiality impact. Remote attackers can exploit it by supplying a malicious image file containing traversal paths for processing by ImageMagick, such as in web applications or services that dynamically handle user-uploaded images. Successful exploitation results in local file disclosure (LFI), allowing attackers to read arbitrary sensitive files on the server even when policy-secure.xml is configured.
The GitHub Security Advisory (GHSA-8jvj-p28h-9gm7) confirms that versions 7.1.2-15 and 6.9.13-40 include fixes to prevent unauthorized file reads by properly enforcing policies post-resolution. To fully secure against writes as well, users should add corresponding deny rules to their policy.xml file; ImageMagick plans to include these in its more secure default policies moving forward. Practitioners should upgrade immediately and review custom policy configurations.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-7438
Vulnerability Data
ImageMagick is free and open-source software used for editing and manipulating digital images. Prior to versions 7.1.2-15 and 6.9.13-40, ImageMagick’s path security policy is enforced on the raw filename string before the filesystem resolves it. As a result, a policy…
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rule such as /etc/* can be bypassed by a path traversal. The OS resolves the traversal and opens the sensitive file, but the policy matcher only sees the unnormalized path and therefore allows the read. This enables local file disclosure (LFI) even when policy-secure.xml is applied. Actions to prevent reading from files have been taken in versions .7.1.2-15 and 6.9.13-40 But it make sure writing is also not possible the following should be added to one's policy. This will also be included in ImageMagick's more secure policies by default.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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V5.3.2
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Enforces the intended directory access authorizations that path traversal would otherwise bypass.
Input validation directly neutralizes special path elements before pathname construction occurs.
Least privilege reduces the impact of any unauthorized file access obtained via traversal.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Patching/maintenance can remediate known path-traversal flaws in deployed software (partial prevention of exploitability) but does nothing to stop the coding defect from being introduced in the first place.
PR.AA-05 defines and reviews access policies but does not address code-level pathname neutralization, so neither direction prevents CWE-22.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing in development catches path traversal via static/dynamic analysis.
Secure SDLC mandates input validation and path sanitization that directly prevent path traversal.
Application security requirements include rules for safe file handling and canonicalization.
Secure architecture principles require least-privilege file access and directory isolation.
Secure coding standards explicitly forbid unsafe path construction and mandate safe APIs.
Information access restriction limits which files an application may read or write.