Description
A flaw was found in curl. When the command-line tool is executed with the remote header name option to prevent overwriting existing files, a malicious server can bypass this protection by returning an intermediate HTTP 103 (Early Hints) response or through specific header ordering. This flaw allows an attacker controlling a remote server to overwrite existing local files on the client system.
Published: n/a
Score: 6.5 Medium
EPSS: n/a
KEV: No
Impact: Local file overwrite
Action: Immediate patch
AI Analysis

Impact

The vulnerability arises in curl when the command‑line tool is invoked with the remote header name option that is meant to protect existing files from being overwritten. A malicious server can bypass this no‑clobber guarantee by returning an intermediate HTTP 103 Early Hints response or by ordering headers in a way that tricks curl into treating existing files as new downloads. This allows an attacker who controls the remote server to overwrite any file that curl creates on the client system during a transfer.

Affected Systems

The affected product is curl, a widely used command‑line HTTP client. The specific vendor and item versions are not identified in the data provided, but any installation that uses the -J option or implements the associated no‑clobber logic is potentially vulnerable.

Risk and Exploitability

The CVSS score of 6.5 indicates a moderate severity vulnerability. The EPSS score is not available, and the flaw is not listed in CISA’s KEV catalog, suggesting it has not yet been widely exploited. The most likely attack vector involves a remote server having control over HTTP responses sent to a client that uses curl to fetch resources. If that server is trusted or if the client indiscriminately downloads from untrusted origins, the attacker can overwrite arbitrary files on the client’s filesystem, potentially compromising system integrity.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on October 17, 2026 at 01:46 UTC.

Remediation

No solution or workaround provided in the CVE record.

OpenCVE Recommended Actions

  • Upgrade curl to the latest version that contains the fix for this early hints behaviour.
  • When downloading from untrusted or unknown servers, avoid using the -J option or any related flag that enables automatic filename handling; instead specify a fixed destination path or validate the path before writing.
  • Restrict write permissions for the directories where curl stores downloaded files, or perform downloads in a sandboxed environment that limits the ability to overwrite critical system files.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on October 17, 2026 at 01:46 UTC.

Tracking

Sign in to view the affected projects.

Advisories
Source ID Title
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-8927-1 curl vulnerabilities
History

Sun, 18 Oct 2026 16:45:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Curl
Curl curl
Vendors & Products Curl
Curl curl

Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description A flaw was found in curl. When the command-line tool is executed with the remote header name option to prevent overwriting existing files, a malicious server can bypass this protection by returning an intermediate HTTP 103 (Early Hints) response or through specific header ordering. This flaw allows an attacker controlling a remote server to overwrite existing local files on the client system.
Title curl: curl: -J no-clobber guarantee bypassed with 103 early hints
Weaknesses CWE-73
References
Metrics threat_severity

None

cvssV3_1

{'score': 6.5, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N'}

threat_severity

Low


cve-icon MITRE

No data.

cve-icon Vulnrichment

No data.

cve-icon NVD

No data.

cve-icon Redhat

Severity : Low

Publid Date: 2026-10-14T12:00:00Z

Links: CVE-2026-92390 - Bugzilla

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

Updated: 2026-10-18T16:30:13Z

Weaknesses
  • CWE-73

    External Control of File Name or Path