{"dataType": "CVE_RECORD", "dataVersion": "5.2", "cveMetadata": {"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": "2026-10-12T02:27:15.378Z"}, "containers": {"cna": {"affected": [{"defaultStatus": "unaffected", "modules": ["purge_all", "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": [{"base64": false, "type": "text/html", "value": "<code>\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</code>\n\n\n\n<br>"}], "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<br>"}], "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 &lt;cache_path&gt; -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<br>"}], "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."}], "x_generator": {"engine": "CVE-Request-form 0.0.1"}}}}

{}

{"affected": [{"affectedData": [{"defaultStatus": "unaffected", "modules": ["purge_all", "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"}]}], "source": "cve@mitre.org"}], "cveTags": [], "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.)"}], "id": "CVE-2026-108981", "lastModified": "2026-10-12T03:17:18.503", "metrics": {"cvssMetricV31": [{"cvssData": {"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"}, "exploitabilityScore": 1.0, "impactScore": 2.5, "source": "cve@mitre.org", "type": "Secondary"}]}, "published": "2026-10-12T03:17:18.503", "references": [{"source": "cve@mitre.org", "url": "https://github.com/nginx-modules/ngx_cache_purge/commit/a6da1352f52a8a02dd6828e88c39ed42fddcee96"}, {"source": "cve@mitre.org", "url": "https://github.com/nginx-modules/ngx_cache_purge/pull/72"}, {"source": "cve@mitre.org", "url": "https://github.com/nginx-modules/ngx_cache_purge/releases/tag/3.0.4"}], "sourceIdentifier": "cve@mitre.org", "vulnStatus": "Received", "weaknesses": [{"description": [{"lang": "en", "value": "CWE-61"}], "source": "cve@mitre.org", "type": "Primary"}]}

{}

{"created": "2026-10-12T04:30:06.036423+00:00", "title": "Symlink\u2011Based File Deletion via ngx_cache_purge", "updated": "2026-10-12T04:30:06.036429+00:00", "vendors": [], "weaknesses": ["CWE-61"]}