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"dataVersion": "5.2",
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"cveId": "CVE-2026-108981",
"assignerOrgId": "8254265b-2729-46b6-b9e3-3dfca2d5bfca",
"state": "PUBLISHED",
"assignerShortName": "mitre",
"dateReserved": "2026-10-12T02:27:14.593Z",
"datePublished": "2026-10-12T02:27:15.378Z",
"dateUpdated": "2026-10-14T17:18:00.208Z"
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"affected": [
{
"defaultStatus": "unaffected",
"modules": [
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"partial/wildcard key purge",
"asynchronous purge queue",
"vary-aware variant deletion"
],
"product": "ngx_cache_purge",
"programFiles": [
"ngx_cache_purge_module.c"
],
"programRoutines": [
{
"name": "ngx_http_cache_purge_all"
},
{
"name": "ngx_http_cache_purge_partial"
},
{
"name": "ngx_http_cache_purge_process_queue"
},
{
"name": "ngx_http_cache_purge_delete_variants"
}
],
"repo": "https://github.com/nginx-modules/ngx_cache_purge",
"vendor": "denji",
"versions": [
{
"lessThanOrEqual": "2.5.6",
"status": "affected",
"version": "2.4.0",
"versionType": "semver"
},
{
"lessThan": "3.0.4",
"status": "affected",
"version": "3.0.0",
"versionType": "semver"
}
]
}
],
"configurations": [
{
"lang": "en",
"supportingMedia": [
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"base64": false,
"type": "text/html",
"value": "\n\nnginx built with the ngx_cache_purge module and a proxy, fastcgi, scgi or uwsgi cache path with purge walks in use (purge_all, a wildcard purge, or cache_purge_vary_aware; arbitrary file deletion requires purge_all or a wildcard purge whose key reduces to an empty prefix), and an attacker able to create a symbolic link inside the cache path, for example when nginx and a web application run as the same user. The attacker does not need PURGE access: any legitimate purge of this kind, such as an automatic purge_all issued by a cache plugin, triggers the traversal.\n\n\n\n\n\n
"
}
],
"value": "nginx built with the ngx_cache_purge module and a proxy, fastcgi, scgi or uwsgi cache path with purge walks in use (purge_all, a wildcard purge, or cache_purge_vary_aware; arbitrary file deletion requires purge_all or a wildcard purge whose key reduces to an empty prefix), and an attacker able to create a symbolic link inside the cache path, for example when nginx and a web application run as the same user. The attacker does not need PURGE access: any legitimate purge of this kind, such as an automatic purge_all issued by a cache plugin, triggers the traversal."
}
],
"descriptions": [
{
"lang": "en",
"value": "ngx_cache_purge before 3.0.4 can allow file deletion via a symlink attack in certain situations where nginx and a served application (e.g., WordPress) run under the same user account. The attacker must be able to create a symlink inside the cache path. Version 3.0.4 fixes this for the case of a symlink created at an arbitrary earlier time, but does not resolve an applicable TOCTOU race condition. (The ngx_cache_purge module follows symlinks while walking the cache directory tree during purge operations. The module relies on nginx's ngx_walk_tree(), which relies on stat() and therefore follows symlinks.)"
}
],
"metrics": [
{
"cvssV3_1": {
"attackComplexity": "HIGH",
"attackVector": "LOCAL",
"availabilityImpact": "LOW",
"baseScore": 3.6,
"baseSeverity": "LOW",
"confidentialityImpact": "NONE",
"integrityImpact": "LOW",
"privilegesRequired": "LOW",
"scope": "UNCHANGED",
"userInteraction": "NONE",
"vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L",
"version": "3.1"
},
"format": "CVSS",
"scenarios": [
{
"lang": "en",
"value": "GENERAL"
}
]
}
],
"problemTypes": [
{
"descriptions": [
{
"cweId": "CWE-61",
"description": "CWE-61 UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following",
"lang": "en",
"type": "CWE"
}
]
}
],
"providerMetadata": {
"orgId": "8254265b-2729-46b6-b9e3-3dfca2d5bfca",
"shortName": "mitre",
"dateUpdated": "2026-10-12T02:27:15.378Z"
},
"references": [
{
"tags": [
"patch"
],
"url": "https://github.com/nginx-modules/ngx_cache_purge/pull/72"
},
{
"tags": [
"patch"
],
"url": "https://github.com/nginx-modules/ngx_cache_purge/commit/a6da1352f52a8a02dd6828e88c39ed42fddcee96"
},
{
"url": "https://github.com/nginx-modules/ngx_cache_purge/releases/tag/3.0.4"
}
],
"solutions": [
{
"lang": "en",
"supportingMedia": [
{
"base64": false,
"type": "text/html",
"value": "Fixed in commit a6da135 (PR #72) on the releases/stable-3.0 branch. 2.4 through 2.5.6 users should upgrade to 3.x, or backport the change to the two ngx_walk_tree() call sites in those versions.\n\n\n\n\n\n
"
}
],
"value": "Fixed in commit a6da135 (PR #72) on the releases/stable-3.0 branch. 2.4 through 2.5.6 users should upgrade to 3.x, or backport the change to the two ngx_walk_tree() call sites in those versions."
}
],
"workarounds": [
{
"lang": "en",
"supportingMedia": [
{
"base64": false,
"type": "text/html",
"value": "Restrict write access to the cache directories and all of their parent directories to the nginx user only, and do not run nginx and untrusted application code (for example PHP-FPM) as the same user. Remove any symbolic links found inside configured cache paths (find <cache_path> -type l). These measures also limit the similar traversal in nginx's own cache loader, which the fix in the module does not change.\n\n\n\n\n\n
"
}
],
"value": "Restrict write access to the cache directories and all of their parent directories to the nginx user only, and do not run nginx and untrusted application code (for example PHP-FPM) as the same user. Remove any symbolic links found inside configured cache paths (find -type l). These measures also limit the similar traversal in nginx's own cache loader, which the fix in the module does not change."
}
],
"x_generator": {
"engine": "CVE-Request-form 0.0.1"
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},
"adp": [
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"metrics": [
{
"other": {
"type": "ssvc",
"content": {
"timestamp": "2026-10-14T17:17:47.968041Z",
"id": "CVE-2026-108981",
"options": [
{
"Exploitation": "none"
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{
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"role": "CISA Coordinator",
"version": "2.0.3"
}
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}
],
"title": "CISA ADP Vulnrichment",
"providerMetadata": {
"orgId": "134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0",
"shortName": "CISA-ADP",
"dateUpdated": "2026-10-14T17:18:00.208Z"
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