CVE-2026-54250 — k3s
MEDIUMCVE-2026-54250 is a medium-severity (CVSS 5.8) Path Traversal vulnerability in github.com/k3s-io/k3s. A fix is available for github.com/k3s-io/k3s — see the affected versions and patch details below.
K3s: ZIP Archive Path Traversal Vulnerability in etcd Snapshot Decompression
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2026-54250.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2026-54250 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 377,333 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
github.com/k3s-io/k3s🐹github.com/k3s-io/k3s🐹github.com/k3s-io/k3sReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Go packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Summary
A path traversal vulnerability exists in K3s's etcd snapshot decompression functionality. Zip files containing archive members with maliciously crafted names (e.g., ../../../../etc/password) can be written to arbitrary locations on the filesystem when an administrator restores the archive as a compressed etcd snapshot.
Mitigations
- Enable golang's built-in insecure path protections when restoring snapshots by setting the
GODEBUGenvironment variable:GODEBUG=zipinsecurepath=0 k3s server --cluster-reset --cluster-reset-restore-path=/path/to/snapshot.zip - Manually extract the snapshot from the zip archive before restoring it. If the snapshot to be restored does not end with
.zip, the vulnerable extraction code will not be executed.
Additional Notes
Administrators should be aware of the cautions noted in the "Security" section of the documentation on Restoring Snapshots.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/k3s-io/k3s | ≥ 1.35.0-rc1&&< 1.35.3 | 1.35.3go get github.com/k3s-io/k3s@v1.35.3 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/k3s-io/k3s | ≥ 1.34.0-rc1&&< 1.34.6 | 1.34.6go get github.com/k3s-io/k3s@v1.34.6 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/k3s-io/k3s | all versions | 1.33.10go get github.com/k3s-io/k3s@v1.33.10 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/k3s-io/k3s, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/k3s-io/k3s to 1.35.3 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-54250 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2026-54250 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2026-54250. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2026-54250 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2026-54250 across Go dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.