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Medium, CVSS 4.2amended

ep_etherpad-lite: Import/export uses Math.random() for temp file paths; predictable paths on shared /tmp enable symlink-based file overwrite

CVE-2026-55086GHSA-2jwf-f4xq-f24h

What to do

Vendor fix available. Upgrade each affected package to the fixed version on its release line (ep_etherpad-lite 3.1.0), redeploy, then verify what is actually installed.

This page has no inventory attached, so it cannot say whether you are affected. A vendor fix is not proof that your deployment is fixed.

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Affected packages

Sources

Severity and exploitation
Exploitation
No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.
CVSS
4.2 · CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
EPSS
  • CVE-2026-55086: 0.14% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 3.25 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.
Source description

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Description src/node/handler/ImportHandler.ts and src/node/handler/ExportHandler.ts both compute their temporary working-file paths as: Two flaws compound: 1. Math.random() is not crypto-secure. It yields at most ~32 bits of entropy and is predictable across calls within the same Node process (V8 shares PRNG state between consecutive Math.random() invocations). An attacker on the same host who observes any earlier temp-file name from logs or other side channels can predict subsequent names. 2. The paths land in os.tmpdir(). On a typical Linux system this is /tmp — a shared world-writable directory. An unprivileged local attacker can pre-create a symbolic link at a predicted path pointing at any file the Etherpad process can write: When ExportHandler calls fs.writeFile(srcFile, html) (or ImportHandler calls fs.rename(srcFile, destFile) / soffice writes its converted output to the path), the open syscall follows the symlink and either reads from or overwrites the linked target. For…

Dates and revisions
Published by the source
Last modified by the source
Source last checked
  1. Revision 2 · amended ·

    Amended from ghsa record GHSA-2jwf-f4xq-f24h

  2. Revision 1 · created ·

    Published from osv record GHSA-2jwf-f4xq-f24h

Agent brief

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2026-55086

Advisory: ep_etherpad-lite: Import/export uses Math.random() for temp file paths; predictable paths on shared /tmp enable symlink-based file overwrite
IDs: CVE-2026-55086, GHSA-2jwf-f4xq-f24h
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2026-55086 (revision 2, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 13:01 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Medium (CVSS 4.2)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: ep_etherpad-lite 3.1.0. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- npm ep_etherpad-lite: affected <= 3.0.0; fixed in 3.1.0

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- `npm ls ep_etherpad-lite --all`: lists every installed copy and version, including transitive ones. Run in the project root after `npm ci`.

## 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 ep_etherpad-lite.
- 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-2jwf-f4xq-f24h (OSV record GHSA-2jwf-f4xq-f24h lists affected ranges: npm ep_etherpad-lite >=0 <3.1.0 (fixed))
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-2jwf-f4xq-f24h (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-2jwf-f4xq-f24h lists affected ranges: npm ep_etherpad-lite >=0 <=3.0.0)

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