CVE-2026-45721

Algernon: handler.lua discovery walks parent directories above the server root

Published May 26, 2026 CVSS 3.1 · 9 Critical EPSS < 1% KEV · Not listed
Description
Algernon is a small self-contained pure-Go web server. Prior to 1.17.7, when Algernon is asked for any URL path that resolves to a directory without an index file, DirPage walks upward through parent directories — past the configured server root — looking for a file named handler.lua to execute as the request handler. The loop terminates only after 100 ancestor steps or when filepath.Dir returns ., so on any absolute server-root path the search reaches the filesystem root (/ on Unix, drive letter on Windows). The first handler.lua it finds is loaded into the Lua interpreter with the full Algernon API exposed — including run3(), httpclient, os.execute, io.popen, PQ, MSSQL, raw filesystem access, and the userstate database. Any process that can write handler.lua anywhere in a parent directory of the server root obtains pre-authenticated remote code execution on the next HTTP request. This is reachable without authentication — the lookup happens before the permission check returns a hit (the perm system only gates URL prefixes, not the handler-resolution step), and any URL pointing at a directory without an index triggers the walk. On a fresh stock Algernon install the request GET / is enough. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.17.7.

Remediation

No solution or workaround provided in the CVE record

Tracking

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Advisories

Source ID Title
Github GHSA Github GHSA GHSA-xwcr-wm99-g9jc Algernon: handler.lua discovery walks parent directories above the server root
History
Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Xyproto
Xyproto algernon
Vendors & Products Xyproto
Xyproto algernon
Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'poc', 'Technical Impact': 'total'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description Algernon is a small self-contained pure-Go web server. Prior to 1.17.7, when Algernon is asked for any URL path that resolves to a directory without an index file, DirPage walks upward through parent directories — past the configured server root — looking for a file named handler.lua to execute as the request handler. The loop terminates only after 100 ancestor steps or when filepath.Dir returns ., so on any absolute server-root path the search reaches the filesystem root (/ on Unix, drive letter on Windows). The first handler.lua it finds is loaded into the Lua interpreter with the full Algernon API exposed — including run3(), httpclient, os.execute, io.popen, PQ, MSSQL, raw filesystem access, and the userstate database. Any process that can write handler.lua anywhere in a parent directory of the server root obtains pre-authenticated remote code execution on the next HTTP request. This is reachable without authentication — the lookup happens before the permission check returns a hit (the perm system only gates URL prefixes, not the handler-resolution step), and any URL pointing at a directory without an index triggers the walk. On a fresh stock Algernon install the request GET / is enough. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.17.7.
Title Algernon: handler.lua discovery walks parent directories above the server root
Weaknesses CWE-20
CWE-426
CWE-552
References
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 9, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H'}

Weaknesses

Sources

Status
PUBLISHED
Assigner
GitHub_M
Published
Updated
May 26, 2026, 5:15 PM
Reserved
May 13, 2026, 5:51 AM
Status
Deferred
Published
May 26, 2026, 5:16 PM
Modified
Jul 24, 2026, 11:10 AM