CVE Vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-23968

UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following

Published: Jan 21, 2026 | Modified: Feb 02, 2026
CVSS 3.x
5.5
MEDIUM
Source:
NVD
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
CVSS 2.x
RedHat/V2
RedHat/V3
Ubuntu
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Copier is a library and CLI app for rendering project templates. Prior to version 9.11.2, Copier suggests that its safe to generate a project from a safe template, i.e. one that doesnt use unsafe features like custom Jinja extensions which would require passing the --UNSAFE,--trust flag. As it turns out, a safe template can currently include arbitrary files/directories outside the local template clone location by using symlinks along with _preserve_symlinks: false (which is Copiers default setting). Version 9.11.2 patches the issue.

Weakness

The product, when opening a file or directory, does not sufficiently account for when the file is a symbolic link that resolves to a target outside of the intended control sphere. This could allow an attacker to cause the product to operate on unauthorized files.

Affected Software

NameVendorStart VersionEnd Version
CopierCopier-org*9.11.2 (excluding)

Potential Mitigations

  • Follow the principle of least privilege when assigning access rights to entities in a software system.
  • Denying access to a file can prevent an attacker from replacing that file with a link to a sensitive file. Ensure good compartmentalization in the system to provide protected areas that can be trusted.

References