Description
Axel Download Accelerator 2.17.14 and earlier performs URL percent-decoding (http_decode()) on the output filename after the URL has been parsed and the filename component extracted. This allows an attacker to embed %2e%2e%2f (URL-encoded ../) sequences in the URL path. These sequences survive the URL parser intact (they contain no literal / characters) but are decoded into directory traversal sequences before the output file is opened for writing. As a result, a crafted URL can cause axel to write downloaded content to arbitrary filesystem paths relative to the current working directory.
Analysis and contextual insights are available on OpenCVE Cloud.
Remediation
Vendor Solution
Apply patch provided by Axel. Will be fixed in 2.17.16 as well
Tracking
Sign in to view the affected projects.
Advisories
No advisories yet.
References
History
Wed, 28 Oct 2026 11:45:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Axel Download Accelerator 2.17.14 and earlier performs URL percent-decoding (http_decode()) on the output filename after the URL has been parsed and the filename component extracted. This allows an attacker to embed %2e%2e%2f (URL-encoded ../) sequences in the URL path. These sequences survive the URL parser intact (they contain no literal / characters) but are decoded into directory traversal sequences before the output file is opened for writing. As a result, a crafted URL can cause axel to write downloaded content to arbitrary filesystem paths relative to the current working directory. | |
| Title | Axel Download Accelerator Path Traversal via URL Filename Decoding | |
| First Time appeared |
Axel Download Accelerator
Axel Download Accelerator axel |
|
| Weaknesses | CWE-24 | |
| CPEs | cpe:2.3:a:axel_download_accelerator:axel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | |
| Vendors & Products |
Axel Download Accelerator
Axel Download Accelerator axel |
|
| References |
| |
| Metrics |
cvssV3_1
|
Status: PUBLISHED
Assigner: OCD
Published:
Updated: 2026-10-28T11:26:59.053Z
Reserved: 2026-10-28T11:13:12.954Z
Link: CVE-2026-118485
No data.
No data.
No data.
OpenCVE Enrichment
No data.
Weaknesses
-
CWE-24
Path Traversal: '../filedir'