What is CVE-2026-53598?

CVE-2026-53598 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in prompty (pip), affecting versions <= 2.0.0b1. It is fixed in 2.0.0b2, 2.0.0-beta.2. Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files.

How severe is CVE-2026-53598?

CVE-2026-53598 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2026-53598?

prompty (pip) versions <= 2.0.0b1; @prompty/core (npm) versions <= 2.0.0-beta.1; Prompty.Core (nuget) versions <= 2.0.0-beta.1.

Is there a fix for CVE-2026-53598?

Yes. CVE-2026-53598 is fixed in 2.0.0b2, 2.0.0-beta.2. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is CVE-2026-53598 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2026-53598 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.

What actually determines whether CVE-2026-53598 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.

How do I fix CVE-2026-53598?

Upgrade: prompty to 2.0.0b2 or later, @prompty/core to 2.0.0-beta.2 or later, prompty to 2.0.0-beta.2 or later, Prompty.Core to 2.0.0-beta.2 or later.

CVE-2026-53598 in prompty

Q: How severe is CVE-2026-53598?

CVE-2026-53598 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.

Q: Which packages are affected by CVE-2026-53598?

prompty (pip) versions <= 2.0.0b1; @prompty/core (npm) versions <= 2.0.0-beta.1; Prompty.Core (nuget) versions <= 2.0.0-beta.1.

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2026-53598?

Yes. CVE-2026-53598 is fixed in 2.0.0b2, 2.0.0-beta.2. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is CVE-2026-53598 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2026-53598 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.

Q: What actually determines whether CVE-2026-53598 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.

Q: How do I fix CVE-2026-53598?

Upgrade: prompty to 2.0.0b2 or later, @prompty/core to 2.0.0-beta.2 or later, prompty to 2.0.0-beta.2 or later, Prompty.Core to 2.0.0-beta.2 or later.

Summary

Prompty: Arbitrary file read via file reference expansion

Prompty loaders expanded ${file:...} references in .prompty frontmatter without enforcing that the resolved path stayed within an authorized directory. An attacker-controlled prompt file could use path traversal or an absolute path to cause the host application to read files accessible to the process.

Affected packages

PyPI prompty versions <= 2.0.0b1; fixed in 2.0.0b2
npm @prompty/core versions <= 2.0.0-beta.1; fixed in 2.0.0-beta.2
crates.io prompty versions <= 2.0.0-beta.1; fixed in 2.0.0-beta.2
NuGet Prompty.Core versions <= 2.0.0-beta.1; fixed in 2.0.0-beta.2

Fix details

The patched runtimes canonicalize file-reference targets and allowed roots before reading referenced files, reject targets outside the prompt directory by default, and add regression coverage for traversal, absolute paths, explicit allowlists, and symlink escapes. The release commit is 88ac9948d7d37995edbb2f6d36913436626c39e1.

Impact

Applications that load untrusted .prompty files, user-provided prompt paths, or prompt bundles from less-trusted locations could disclose local files available to the application process when expanded values are logged, returned, or otherwise exposed.

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.

CVE-2026-53598 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (2.0.0b2, 2.0.0-beta.2); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

prompty (<= 2.0.0b1) @prompty/core (<= 2.0.0-beta.1) prompty (<= 2.0.0-beta.1) Prompty.Core (<= 2.0.0-beta.1)

Security releases

prompty → 2.0.0b2 (pip) @prompty/core → 2.0.0-beta.2 (npm) prompty → 2.0.0-beta.2 (rust) Prompty.Core → 2.0.0-beta.2 (nuget)

Kodem intelligence

Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.

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. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.

Already deployed Kodem?

See it in your environment New to Kodem? Get a demo →

Remediation advice

Upgrade to the fixed runtime version for your ecosystem. The fix makes file references secure by default: ${file:...} may only resolve within the directory tree containing the .prompty file. Host applications that need shared prompt assets outside that tree must explicitly provide allowed file roots through runtime load options. Absolute paths, .. traversal, and symlink escapes outside allowed roots are rejected.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-53598? CVE-2026-53598 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in prompty (pip), affecting versions <= 2.0.0b1. It is fixed in 2.0.0b2, 2.0.0-beta.2. Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files.
How severe is CVE-2026-53598? CVE-2026-53598 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
Which packages are affected by CVE-2026-53598?
- prompty (pip) (versions <= 2.0.0b1)
- @prompty/core (npm) (versions <= 2.0.0-beta.1)
- Prompty.Core (nuget) (versions <= 2.0.0-beta.1)
Is there a fix for CVE-2026-53598? Yes. CVE-2026-53598 is fixed in 2.0.0b2, 2.0.0-beta.2. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is CVE-2026-53598 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-53598 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
What actually determines whether CVE-2026-53598 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.
How do I fix CVE-2026-53598?
- Upgrade prompty to 2.0.0b2 or later
- Upgrade @prompty/core to 2.0.0-beta.2 or later
- Upgrade prompty to 2.0.0-beta.2 or later
- Upgrade Prompty.Core to 2.0.0-beta.2 or later