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NVD / CVE Program· CNA GitHub_M

CVE-2026-54055: Kitty has an Arbitrary File Write via Symlink Race Condition in File Transmission Protocol

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 20/100)

  • The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.07% (FIRST EPSS).
  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it. A low-privileged account is enough. A user must open a link or visit a page. Special conditions such as timing or configuration are required.
  • Fixed version: kitty (Debian:13) 0.41.1-2+deb13u2; kitty (Debian:14) 0.47.3-1.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to kitty (Debian:13) 0.41.1-2+deb13u2; kitty (Debian:14) 0.47.3-1 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

Kitty is a cross-platform GPU based terminal. In versions prior to 0.47.2, a local privilege escalation vulnerability exists in kitty's file transmission protocol where a child process running in the terminal can write to arbitrary files on the filesystem by exploiting a TOCTOU (Time-of-Check-Time-of-Use) race condition between symlink validation and file creation. The `os.open()` call used to create files does not use `O_NOFOLLOW`, allowing an attacker to create a symlink between the initial stat check and the actual file open, causing the write to follow the symlink to an arbitrary destination. Version 0.47.2 fixes the issue.

MediumCVSS 5.0 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
Jun 12, 2026
Updated
Oct 26, 2026
EPSS
0.0% · 0th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

20

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
20 / 40 · 5.0 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.0%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
proof of concept
Automatable
no
Technical impact
partial

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
—
CNA · GitHub_M
5.0
NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • No public exploit code on record
  • A fix has been released

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

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When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
kovidgoyalkitty

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • kovidgoyal kittybefore 0.47.2

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (GitHub_M). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • kovidgoyal kitty

    • < 0.47.2affected

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Debian:12kittyfrom 0—
Debian:13kittybefore 0.41.1-2+deb13u20.41.1-2+deb13u2
Debian:14kittybefore 0.47.3-10.47.3-1

Same product

kovidgoyal: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2020-35605The Graphics Protocol feature in graphics.c in kitty before 0.19.3 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code because a filename cont
    40Plan
  • CVE-2026-33642Kitty has a Heap Buffer Over-Read/Write via Integer Overflow in compose_rectangles Bounds Check
    39Monitor
  • CVE-2026-33633Kitty has a Heap Buffer Overflow in its Graphics Protocol Handler
    35Monitor

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2026-42850Jun 12, 2026 · Kitty has a shell command injection
    29Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2026-42851Jun 12, 2026 · @kitty-edit DCS + --color=geninclude vulnerable to Unauthenticated in-process RCE
    31Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2026-54056Jun 12, 2026 · Kitty has an arbitrary file overwrite via symlink following in `kitten dnd` remote drop staging
    28Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
debian:kitty0.41.1-2+deb13u2 · Debian:13Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

No history yet (it accumulates with the daily EPSS job).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

  • CVE-2026-540560 days apartKitty has an arbitrary file overwrite via symlink following in `kitten dnd` remote drop staging
    28Monitor

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
  • A low-privileged account is enough.
  • A user must open a link or visit a page.
  • Special conditions such as timing or configuration are required.

If successful

Confidentiality
none
Integrity
high · data or configuration can be modified
Availability
low · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
High
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
None
Integrity impact
High
Availability impact
Low

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-59 · Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')

CVSS vector

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

nvd-secondary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records