Path traversal in SecureDrop Client API.download_reply()
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- High
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA.
Summary
The SecureDrop Client is a desktop application for journalists to communicate with sources and work with submissions on the SecureDrop Workstation. Prior to version 0.14.1, a malicious SecureDrop Server could obtain code execution on the SecureDrop Client virtual machine (`sd-app`). SecureDrop Server itself has multiple layers of built-in hardening, and is a dedicated physical machine exposed on the internet only via Tor hidden services for the Source and Journalist interfaces, and optionally via remote SSH access over another Tor hidden service. A newsroom's SecureDrop Workstation communicates only with its own dedicated SecureDrop Server. The SecureDrop Client runs in a dedicated Qubes virtual machine, named `sd-app`, as part of the SecureDrop Workstation. The private OpenPGP key used to decrypt submissions and replies is stored in a separate virtual machine and never accessed directly. The vulnerability lies in the code responsible for downloading replies. The filename of the reply is obtained from the `Content-Disposition` HTTP header and used to write the encrypted reply on disk. Note that filenames are generated and sanitized server-side, and files are downloaded in an encrypted format, so a remote attacker who has not achieved server compromise, such as one posing as a source, could not craft the HTTP response necessary for this attack. While the filename is later checked to guard against path traversal before being moved into the Client’s data storage directory, the file has already been written to a potentially arbitrary location. In this case, `safe_move()` would detect the path traversal and fail, leaving the original downloaded file in the attacker-chosen directory. Code execution can be gained by writing an autostart file in `/home/user/.config/autostart/`. Version 0.14.1 fixes the issue. As of time of publication, there is no known evidence of exploitation in the wild. This attack requires a previously compromised SecureDrop Server.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Total
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| freedomofpress | securedrop-client | before 0.14.1 | 0.14.1 | Patch available | CNA |
- securedrop-client Vendorfreedomofpress Affected before 0.14.1 Fixed in 0.14.1 Patch available CNA
Remediation
- Fix · CNA securedrop-client (freedomofpress) Fixed in 0.14.1
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2025-24888
References
Other 6
- https://github.com/freedomofpress/securedrop-client/security/advisories/GHSA-6c3p-chq6-q3j2
- https://github.com/freedomofpress/securedrop-client/commit/120bac14649db0bcf5f24f2eb82731c76843b1ba
- https://github.com/freedomofpress/securedrop-client/blob/0.14.0/client/securedrop_client/utils.py#L79
- https://github.com/freedomofpress/securedrop-client/blob/main/client/securedrop_client/api_jobs/downloads.py#L164
- https://github.com/freedomofpress/securedrop-client/blob/release/0.14.0/client/securedrop_client/sdk/__init__.py#L956-L957
- https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/split-gpg
More freedomofpress vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-83225 SecureDrop lets API session tokens be reused against the web UI CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 5.0
- TI-2025-18591 Path traversal in sd-log Qubes virtual machine CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 4.5
- TI-2026-36827 securedrop-proxy origin limitation can be bypassed with redirects CVSS 3.1LOW 3.7
- TI-2026-86124 SecureDrop copies Onion Service credentials to Monitor Server CVSS 3.1LOW 2.6
Sources
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences