Auth bypass in Eclipse Theia

CVE-2026-61891

In Eclipse Theia versions up to and including 1.73.1, the `@theia/filesystem` backend exposes HTTP file-download endpoints (`GET /file`, `GET /files/`, `PUT /files/`) that convert a client-supplied URI directly to a filesystem path and stream the file, without confining it to the workspace or any allow-listed root. In browser (non-Electron) deployments the connection token is enforced only on WebSocket upgrades; the HTTP middleware in `@theia/core` re-issues the cookie and calls `next()` without rejecting tokenless HTTP requests, so these endpoints are reachable without a valid token. As a result an unauthenticated client can read any file readable by the backend process, including files outside the opened workspace (for example `/etc/hosts`, SSH keys, or tokens). Electron mode uses a separate `ElectronSecurityToken` and is not affected via this path.

Vulnerability class: Path Traversal (Directory Traversal)

Published · last modified .

CVSS v3 metric

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

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.005 (45.1th percentile), scored .

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 45th percentile — 45.1% 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-2026-61891: held from 0.005 to 0.005.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.005 · newest: 0.005 · change: 0.000

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-61891?
CVE-2026-61891 is a high-severity vulnerability in Eclipse Theia, classified under Path Traversal. CVSS score: 7.5/10. Published 2026-08-05.
How severe is CVE-2026-61891?
High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.5 out of 10.