Path Traversal in Freedom Securedrop-Client

CVE-2026-35465

SecureDrop Client is a desktop app for journalists to securely communicate with sources and handle submissions on the SecureDrop Workstation. In versions 0.17.4 and below, a compromised SecureDrop Server can achieve code execution on the Client's virtual machine (sd-app) by exploiting improper filename validation in gzip archive extraction, which permits absolute paths and enables overwriting critical files like the SQLite database. Exploitation requires prior compromise of the dedicated SecureDrop Server, which itself is hardened and only accessible via Tor hidden services. Despite the high attack complexity, the vulnerability is rated High severity due to its significant impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability of decrypted source submissions. This issue is similar to CVE-2025-24888 but occurs through a different code path, and a more robust fix has been implemented in the replacement SecureDrop Inbox codebase. The issue has been fixed in version 0.17.5.

Published · last modified .

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 7.5 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.005 (42.5th percentile), scored .

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 42nd percentile — 42.5% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS trend (30 days)EPSS over the last 30 days for CVE-2026-35465: held from 0.004 to 0.005.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.004 · newest: 0.005 · change: +0.001

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-35465?
CVE-2026-35465 is a high-severity vulnerability in Freedom Securedrop-Client, classified under Absolute Path Traversal. CVSS score: 7.5/10. Published 2026-04-18.
How severe is CVE-2026-35465?
High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.5 out of 10.