Description
The ftp and scp tasks of Apache Ant can download files from a remote server. A malicious server can provide relative paths that allow it to write outside of the dedicated target directory for the download, making it possible to overwrite files of the attacker's choice using the permissions of the user running Ant in versions prior to Ant 1.10.18.
In order to exploit this vulnerability, the server would either have to be malicious or be subject to a machine-in-the-middle attack. Additionally in the case of scp or the ftp task using ftps the server must pass the server identity checks performed by the tasks.
For ftp tasks not using ftps a malicious server could act as a machine-in-the-middle to provide malicious files.
Starting with Ant 1.10.18 both tasks will prevent writing outside of the destination directory by default. An option is available to disable this behavior in the unlikely case that the old behavior is required by existing build files.
Mitigations:
Users of scp and ftp (when using ftps) in any version of Ant should not bypass server identity checks. Users of ftp not using ftps should switch to ftps where possible.
All users are recommended to upgrade to Apache Ant 1.10.18, which fixes this issue.
In order to exploit this vulnerability, the server would either have to be malicious or be subject to a machine-in-the-middle attack. Additionally in the case of scp or the ftp task using ftps the server must pass the server identity checks performed by the tasks.
For ftp tasks not using ftps a malicious server could act as a machine-in-the-middle to provide malicious files.
Starting with Ant 1.10.18 both tasks will prevent writing outside of the destination directory by default. An option is available to disable this behavior in the unlikely case that the old behavior is required by existing build files.
Mitigations:
Users of scp and ftp (when using ftps) in any version of Ant should not bypass server identity checks. Users of ftp not using ftps should switch to ftps where possible.
All users are recommended to upgrade to Apache Ant 1.10.18, which fixes this issue.
Published:
2026-09-07
Score:
n/a
EPSS:
n/a
KEV:
No
Impact:
n/a
Action:
n/a
Analysis
No analysis available yet.
Default status is the baseline for the product, each version can override it (e.g. patched versions marked unaffected).
| Vendor | Product | Default status | Versions | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apache Software Foundation | Apache Ant | unaffected |
|
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No data available yet.
Remediation
No remediation available yet.
Tracking
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Advisories
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References
History
Mon, 07 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Description | The ftp and scp tasks of Apache Ant can download files from a remote server. A malicious server can provide relative paths that allow it to write outside of the dedicated target directory for the download, making it possible to overwrite files of the attacker's choice using the permissions of the user running Ant in versions prior to Ant 1.10.18. In order to exploit this vulnerability, the server would either have to be malicious or be subject to a machine-in-the-middle attack. Additionally in the case of scp or the ftp task using ftps the server must pass the server identity checks performed by the tasks. For ftp tasks not using ftps a malicious server could act as a machine-in-the-middle to provide malicious files. Starting with Ant 1.10.18 both tasks will prevent writing outside of the destination directory by default. An option is available to disable this behavior in the unlikely case that the old behavior is required by existing build files. Mitigations: Users of scp and ftp (when using ftps) in any version of Ant should not bypass server identity checks. Users of ftp not using ftps should switch to ftps where possible. All users are recommended to upgrade to Apache Ant 1.10.18, which fixes this issue. | |
| Title | Apache Ant: Path traversal in ftp and scp tasks allows arbitrary file write | |
| Weaknesses | CWE-23 | |
| References |
|
Subscriptions
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MITRE
Status: PUBLISHED
Assigner: apache
Published:
Updated: 2026-09-07T08:16:01.151Z
Reserved: 2026-08-24T07:17:27.205Z
Link: CVE-2026-78254
Vulnrichment
No data.
NVD
Status : Received
Published: 2026-09-07T08:17:12.943
Modified: 2026-09-07T08:17:12.943
Link: CVE-2026-78254
Redhat
No data.
OpenCVE Enrichment
No data.
Weaknesses
-
CWE-23
Relative Path Traversal