Summary
LiteLLM: Arbitrary file write via path traversal in Skills archive extraction
Workarounds
If upgrading is not immediately possible:
- Block
POST /v1/skillsat your reverse proxy or API gateway. - Restrict Skills API access to trusted users only.
Impact
LiteLLM Skills archive extraction did not sufficiently validate file paths from uploaded skill ZIP archives. An authenticated user with access to LiteLLM LLM API routes, or a key whose allowed_routes includes /v1/skills, anthropic_routes, or llm_api_routes, could upload a crafted skill archive containing path traversal entries.
When the skill was processed for execution, those entries could be written outside the intended extraction/staging directory. This could allow arbitrary file write and may lead to code execution depending on deployment configuration and writable paths.
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.
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.
Already deployed Kodem?
See it in your environmentNew to Kodem? Get a demo →Remediation advice
The issue is fixed in 1.83.7-stable.
LiteLLM recommens upgrading to 1.83.7-stable or later.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2026-59820? CVE-2026-59820 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in litellm (pip), affecting versions < 1.83.7. It is fixed in 1.83.7. Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files.
- Which versions of litellm are affected by CVE-2026-59820? litellm (pip) versions < 1.83.7 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-59820? Yes. CVE-2026-59820 is fixed in 1.83.7. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2026-59820 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-59820 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-2026-59820 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-2026-59820? Upgrade
litellmto 1.83.7 or later.