PPTAgent: Arbitrary File Write + Directory Creation via markdown_table_to_image

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

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

EPSS

• CVE-2026-42078: 0.20% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 9.71 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Summary The markdowntabletoimage tool accepts a caller-controlled path parameter and passes it directly to gethtmltableimage: os.makedirs(parentdir) creates arbitrary directory trees, and Html2Image.screenshot writes the rendered image to parentdir/basename. Unlike downloadfile in the same project, there is no isrelativeto(workspace) guard. This behaviour can be fixed with the same pattern as the above. Impact The concrete attack scenarios include - SSH key replacement: path = "/home/user/.ssh/authorizedkeys" — replaces the authorizedkeys file with an image binary (breaks - SSH but could be an image crafted with a specific PNG/JPEG payload). - Web shell: path = "/var/www/html/uploads/shell.php" — writes the rendered PNG there; the file has the .php extension but PNG content; combined with Apache Options +MultiViews or file-include vulnerabilities could be dangerous. - Directory creation oracle: path = "/root/test/probe.png" — if the directory is created, confirms the target path…

Published by the source

5 May 2026, 18:55 UTC

Last modified by the source

13 Jul 2026, 16:43 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 13:40 UTC

1. Revision 2 · amended · 26 Oct 2026

   Amended from ghsa record GHSA-hrcw-xc63-g29m

2. Revision 1 · created · 24 Oct 2026

   Published from osv record GHSA-hrcw-xc63-g29m

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2026-42078

Advisory: PPTAgent: Arbitrary File Write + Directory Creation via markdown_table_to_image
IDs: CVE-2026-42078, GHSA-hrcw-xc63-g29m
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2026-42078 (revision 2, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 13:40 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Medium (CVSS 4.6)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: pptagent 1.1.36. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- PyPI pptagent: affected < 1.1.36; fixed in 1.1.36

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- `python -m pip show pptagent`: prints the installed version. Run with the environment that serves production active.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on pptagent.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-hrcw-xc63-g29m (OSV record GHSA-hrcw-xc63-g29m lists affected ranges: PyPI pptagent >=0 <1.1.36 (fixed))
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-hrcw-xc63-g29m (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-hrcw-xc63-g29m lists affected ranges: PyPI pptagent >=0 <1.1.36)

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