CVE-2026-22871

A path traversal vulnerability exists in GuardDog's safe_extract() function that allows malicious PyPI packages to write arbitrary files outside the intended extraction directory, leading to Arbitrary File Overwrite and Remote Code Execution on systems running GuardDog.

CWE: CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory)

Details

Vulnerable Code

File: guarddog/utils/archives.py

elif zipfile.is_zipfile(source_archive):
    with zipfile.ZipFile(source_archive, "r") as zip:
        for file in zip.namelist():
            # Note: zip.extract cleans up any malicious file name
            # such as directory traversal attempts This is not the
            # case of zipfile.extractall
            zip.extract(file, path=os.path.join(target_directory, file))  # ❌ VULNERABLE

Root Cause

The comment about zip.extract() fooled me at first :) then I noticed the os.path.join() call.
The vulnerability stems from incorrect usage of Python's zipfile.ZipFile.extract() API:

• The path parameter should be the target directory, not a full file path
• extract() automatically appends the member name to the path
• By passing os.path.join(target_directory, file), GuardDog causes the filename to be appended twice
• This breaks zipfile's built-in path traversal sanitization

Attack Vector

1. Attacker creates malicious wheel with path traversal filenames
2. Uploads to PyPI or distributes directly
3. Package scan: guarddog pypi scan malicious-pkg
4. GuardDog downloads and extracts the package
5. Malicious files written to arbitrary locations
6. Code execution could be achieved

Critical Scenarios

1. Immediate Code Execution

   • Write to ~/.bashrc → executes on next shell
   • Write to ~/.profile → executes on login

2. Persistent Backdoors

   • Write to ~/.ssh/authorized_keys → SSH access
   • Write to /etc/cron.d/malicious → scheduled execution (if root)
   • Write to systemd user services → persistent execution

and more...

Credits

Reported by: Charbel (dwbruijn)

Impact depends on how GuardDog is running and under which environment.

Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files. Typical impact: unauthorized file read or write outside the intended directory.

Kodem intelligence

1. What is CVE-2026-22871? CVE-2026-22871 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in guarddog (pip), affecting versions < 2.7.1. It is fixed in 2.7.1. Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files.
2. Which versions of guarddog are affected by CVE-2026-22871? guarddog (pip) versions < 2.7.1 is affected.
3. Is there a fix for CVE-2026-22871? Yes. CVE-2026-22871 is fixed in 2.7.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
4. Is CVE-2026-22871 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-22871 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
5. What actually determines whether CVE-2026-22871 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
6. How do I fix CVE-2026-22871? Upgrade guarddog to 2.7.1 or later.