Description

In JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA before 2026.3 path traversal was possible via unpacking Dev Container archives from a remote host

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "7.5",
  "pubDate": "2026-11-06T11:17:09.470Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-11-06T11:17:09.470Z",
  "executiveSummary": "A path traversal vulnerability exists in JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA versions prior to 2026.3, specifically within the functionality responsible for unpacking Dev Container archives received from remote hosts.\nThis flaw allows an attacker to manipulate file paths during the archive extraction process, potentially leading to arbitrary file write operations on the host system.\nThe vulnerability affects JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA and potentially other IDEs sharing the same archive extraction implementation for Dev Containers.\nAn attacker capable of delivering a malicious Dev Container archive can achieve unauthorized file system access, enabling the overwriting of configuration files, execution of malicious scripts, or the placement of payloads outside the intended extraction directory.\nThe risk is critical for developers who interact with remote development environments, as the exploitation does not require advanced user interaction beyond the initiation of the container project loading process.\nSuccessful exploitation compromises the integrity of the local development environment and could serve as an initial access vector for broader system compromise if the IDE process runs with sufficient privileges.",
  "technicalDetails": "The root cause of the vulnerability resides in the insufficient validation of file paths contained within the metadata of Dev Container archives during the unpacking sequence.\nWhen IntelliJ IDEA processes a Dev Container archive, it fails to adequately sanitize or verify the paths specified for the internal files. This lack of path normalization and boundary enforcement allows an attacker to utilize directory traversal sequences, such as '../', within the archive structure.\nThe attack flow begins when a user is induced to open or import a maliciously crafted Dev Container project from a remote host. Upon initiating the unpacking process, the IDE's archive handler iterates through the archive's entries. Because the application does not verify that the target path remains within the designated sandbox or extraction directory, it blindly follows the instructions provided by the archive entries.\nThe vulnerable component is the archive extraction logic responsible for deploying Dev Container environments. By crafting an entry with a relative path that traverses out of the target directory, an attacker can coerce the IDE into writing files to sensitive locations on the local filesystem. For instance, an attacker could overwrite existing IDE configuration files, replace source code, or place malicious binaries into startup folders.\nThis vulnerability is particularly dangerous because the file write operation is performed with the privileges of the user running the IDE process. No specific authentication is required if the attacker can influence the remote host or intercept the delivery of the archive.\nThe impact post-exploitation includes, but is not limited to, arbitrary code execution, persistence through the placement of malicious startup items, and the unauthorized modification of project or environment settings, potentially leading to credential theft or further remote code execution against the developer's machine."
}