motionEye's Absolute Path Traversal in Media File Handlers Allows Arbitrary File Read

Exploitation

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

CVSS

not scored

EPSS

• CVE-2026-55488: 0.60% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 49.01 (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 mEye contains an absolute path traversal vulnerability in multiple media file handlers that allows an attacker to read arbitrary files from the filesystem. The affected handlers accept a user-controlled filename parameter and construct filesystem paths using os.path.join(). When an absolute path is supplied, Python discards the configured media directory and returns the attacker-supplied path directly. The application then bypasses Tornado's built-in path validation by overriding the relevant safety checks. As a result, an attacker can access files outside of the configured camera media directory, subject to the permissions of the motionEye process. Details The issue exists in the media playback and download functionality. The filename parameter is passed to mediafiles.getmediapath(): When path is an absolute path (e.g. /etc/motioneye/motion.conf), Python's os.path.join() discards targetdir entirely and returns the absolute path as-is. This would normally be caught by…

Published by the source

23 Jun 2026, 18:32 UTC

Last modified by the source

13 Jul 2026, 16:43 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 13:46 UTC

1. Revision 2 · amended · 26 Oct 2026

   Amended from ghsa record GHSA-rw9q-97r9-8gvh

2. Revision 1 · created · 24 Oct 2026

   Published from osv record GHSA-rw9q-97r9-8gvh

Preview the exact text before you copy it. Commands are read-only suggestions; review them before running anything.

# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2026-55488

Advisory: motionEye's Absolute Path Traversal in Media File Handlers Allows Arbitrary File Read
IDs: CVE-2026-55488, GHSA-rw9q-97r9-8gvh
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2026-55488 (revision 2, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 13:46 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Unrated
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: motioneye 0.44.0. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- PyPI motioneye: affected < 0.44.0; fixed in 0.44.0

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- `python -m pip show motioneye`: 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 motioneye.
- 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-rw9q-97r9-8gvh (OSV record GHSA-rw9q-97r9-8gvh lists affected ranges: PyPI motioneye >=0 <0.44.0 (fixed))
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-rw9q-97r9-8gvh (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-rw9q-97r9-8gvh lists affected ranges: PyPI motioneye >=0 <0.44.0)

Commands are suggestions: review each one before running it.