Summary
Trivy has a path traversal via a crafted vulnerability database or other downloaded artifacts
When Trivy downloads an OCI artifact, it uses the org.opencontainers.image.title annotation from the artifact manifest as the destination filename without validation. An attacker who can make Trivy fetch an attacker-controlled artifact can supply a crafted annotation that resolves to a path outside the intended destination, causing Trivy to write the layer content to an arbitrary location on the host filesystem.
Affected configurations
Exploitation requires the attacker to direct Trivy at an attacker-controlled OCI artifact via one of the following inputs:
| Input | Used for |
|---|---|
--db-repository flag, TRIVY_DB_REPOSITORY environment variable, or db.repository in trivy.yaml |
Vulnerability database |
--java-db-repository flag, TRIVY_JAVA_DB_REPOSITORY environment variable, or db.java-repository in trivy.yaml |
Java vulnerability database |
--checks-bundle-repository flag (and the deprecated --policy-bundle-repository alias), TRIVY_CHECKS_BUNDLE_REPOSITORY environment variable, or misconfiguration.checks-bundle-repository in trivy.yaml |
Misconfiguration checks bundle |
Repository argument to trivy module install <REPO> |
WASM module installation |
Realistic scenarios in which an attacker may influence these inputs include a copy-pasted command or documentation snippet pointing to an untrusted mirror, or a third-party mirror that turns out to be hostile.
Trivy's default configuration, which downloads these artifacts from Aqua-operated repositories, is not affected. The risk applies only when one of the inputs above is overridden to download a different artifact.
Workarounds
If upgrading is not immediately possible, do not download Trivy artifacts (vulnerability database, Java database, misconfiguration checks bundle, modules, etc.) from OCI repositories you do not operate or trust.
Credits
Reported by @ikkebr.
Impact
An attacker who satisfies the conditions above can overwrite or create arbitrary files on the host filesystem within the privilege boundary of the user running Trivy. The vulnerability does not grant any privileges beyond what that user already has.
The practical impact depends on the deployment. In environments where the running user can overwrite files such as SSH authorized_keys, shell startup files, cron entries, or binaries on PATH, the file write may be leveraged to achieve code execution as that user. In more restricted deployments, the impact is bounded to the user's writable scope but may still allow tampering with scan results, build artifacts, or other files consumed by subsequent steps in the same pipeline.
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-2026-55092 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 (0.71.1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
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.
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Fixed in Trivy 0.71.1. Users should upgrade to that release or later.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2026-55092? CVE-2026-55092 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in github.com/aquasecurity/trivy (go), affecting versions < 0.71.1. It is fixed in 0.71.1. Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files.
- How severe is CVE-2026-55092? CVE-2026-55092 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 versions of github.com/aquasecurity/trivy are affected by CVE-2026-55092? github.com/aquasecurity/trivy (go) versions < 0.71.1 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-55092? Yes. CVE-2026-55092 is fixed in 0.71.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2026-55092 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-55092 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-2026-55092 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-2026-55092? Upgrade
github.com/aquasecurity/trivyto 0.71.1 or later.