The flaw in the Copier tool stems from its default _preserve_symlinks setting of false. When rendering a so‑called safe template, the tool follows symbolic links inside the template even if they point outside the clone directory. This path resolution bug lets an attacker read any file the process can access, creating a confidentiality breach. The weakness is classified as CWE‑61, an insecure path traversal issue.

The issue affects all released versions of the Copier CLI and library from copier‑org prior to 9.11.2. Version 9.11.2 includes a fix that stops symlinks from reaching outside the template directory.

The CVSS score of 6.8 indicates medium severity, and the EPSS score of less than 1% signals a very low likelihood of exploitation. The vulnerability is not listed in CISA KEV. Based on the description, it is inferred that exploitation requires an attacker who can supply a malicious template or otherwise control the template rendering process locally. No publicly known remote attack surface exists unless Copier is run as part of a network‑exposed service. Consequently, the risk is a local information‑disclosure scenario with limited exploitation probability.