CVE-2026-81028

ZLMediaKit downloadFile Root-Directory Confinement Bypass via Prefix Collision

MEDIUM
4.9
CVSS Score
Published: August 26, 2026 at 03:44 PM UTC
Updated: October 27, 2026 at 11:17 AM UTC
1 product affected across 1 vendorZLMediaKit

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Severity
MEDIUM4.9
Exploit prediction
EPSS 0.5%
SSVC
No known exploit

Description

ZLMediaKit confines the downloadFile API to a configured set of root directories with a prefix comparison that does not account for directory boundaries. The configuration loader in server/WebApi.cpp builds each root with File::absolutePath("", item, true); because the relative-path argument is empty that helper returns the value without a trailing separator. The handler then accepts a requested path when start_with(file_path, root) holds, so a sibling directory whose name merely begins with the configured root string satisfies the test and is served. The only other guard rejects a path containing two dots, which this requires none of. The equivalent confinement check for the ordinary static file server in src/Http/HttpFileManager.cpp computes its root with a non-empty second argument, which appends the separator before comparing, and so is not affected. The endpoint requires the configured API secret, so this grants no privilege beyond what that secret already implies, but it reads files outside the directory the operator confined it to, and the reference container runs the server as root.

Affected

Our own answer: ranges merged, affected separated from platform-only, with confidence and review flags.

fa347d7dbe48dfdce525d3a0fdb92e576970ef9f

Remediation

No guide yet

No remediation guidance has been written for this CVE yet, and no fixed version or vendor advisory is recorded against it.

SSVC — Action Prioritization

SSVCNo known exploitNot automatablePartial impact

SSVC signals action urgency (what to patch first), separate from CVSS which measures severity.

CVSS

4.9MEDIUMVulnCheck
Attack Vector
NETWORK
Complexity
LOW
Privileges
HIGH
User Interaction
NONE
Scope
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality
HIGH
Integrity
NONE
Availability
NONE
Vector?

Quick Info

StatusDEFERRED
CWE
CWE-22

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