Vulnerability in Copier-Org Copier
CVE-2026-23986
Copier is a library and CLI app for rendering project templates. Prior to version 9.11.2, Copier suggests that it's safe to generate a project from a safe template, i.e. one that doesn't use unsafe features like custom Jinja extensions which would require passing the `--UNSAFE,--trust` flag. As it turns out, a safe template can currently write to arbitrary directories outside the destination path by using directory a symlink along with `_preserve_symlinks: true` and a generated directory structure whose rendered path is inside the symlinked directory. This way, a malicious template author can create a template that overwrites arbitrary files (according to the user's write permissions), e.g., to cause havoc. Version 9.11.2 patches the issue.
EPSS: 0.002 (14.3th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 7.1 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H.
Affected products
- Copier-org Copier — versions < 9.11.2
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- security-advisories@github.com (x_refsource_CONFIRM, Exploit, Third Party Advisory)
- security-advisories@github.com (Patch, x_refsource_MISC)
- security-advisories@github.com (Product, x_refsource_MISC, Release Notes)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-23986?
- CVE-2026-23986 is a high-severity vulnerability in Copier-Org Copier, classified under UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following. CVSS score: 7.1/10. Published 2026-01-21.
- How severe is CVE-2026-23986?
- High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.1 out of 10.