CVE-2026-61702: cups Path Traversal — Exploit & Fix

Description

OpenPrinting CUPS is an open source printing system for Linux and other Unix-like operating systems. Prior to 2.4.20, copy_banner() in scheduler/ipp.c uses the attacker-controlled IPP attributes-natural-language value as a directory component beneath DataDir/banners when processing a job-sheets banner. The job-sheets value must first match a registered banner basename, and the traversed path must contain a matching reachable basename; selecting an arbitrary target as demonstrated additionally requires pre-positioned path state such as a symlink with that basename. Subject to the scheduler's filesystem and sandbox access, path separators in the language value can escape the intended banner directory, make the root scheduler open the reachable file, and copy its bytes into a job-sheet spool object that a configured backend can deliver to an attacker-observable endpoint. This issue is fixed in version 2.4.20.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

5.3

MEDIUM

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0042

Probability of exploitation

0.37%

Percentile rank

EPSS estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A higher score means more likely to be exploited.

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-22 Path Traversal

Affected Products

Vendor	Product	Versions
openprinting	cups	< 2.4.20

References

Advisories & Patches

https://github.com/OpenPrinting/cups/commit/08a8a277ce2a8948a1af33552247a1ac53b72df3 https://github.com/OpenPrinting/cups/commit/6650428234616a97d3298e0e2d4419c62c1339d2 https://github.com/OpenPrinting/cups/security/advisories/GHSA-gq9p-4w7m-2f5g

Exploits

https://github.com/OpenPrinting/cups/security/advisories/GHSA-gq9p-4w7m-2f5g

Other References

https://github.com/OpenPrinting/cups/releases/tag/v2.4.20

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-61702? +

OpenPrinting CUPS is an open source printing system for Linux and other Unix-like operating systems. Prior to 2.4.20, copy_banner() in scheduler/ipp.c uses the attacker-controlled IPP attributes-natural-language value as a directory component beneath DataDir/banners when processing a job-sheets banner. The job-sheets value must first match a registered banner basename, and the traversed path must contain a matching reachable basename; selecting an arbitrary target as demonstrated additionally requires pre-positioned path state such as a symlink with that basename. Subject to the scheduler's filesystem and sandbox access, path separators in the language value can escape the intended banner directory, make the root scheduler open the reachable file, and copy its bytes into a job-sheet spool object that a configured backend can deliver to an attacker-observable endpoint. This issue is fixed in version 2.4.20. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.3 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2026-61702? +

CVE-2026-61702 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 5.3 out of 10, rated MEDIUM. This is a medium-severity vulnerability that should be remediated as part of regular maintenance. The EPSS score is 0.0042, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.

What products are affected by CVE-2026-61702? +

CVE-2026-61702 affects products from openprinting, specifically: cups. Check the affected products table above for specific version ranges.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-61702? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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