Dify Path Traversal Vulnerability (CVE-2026-41948)

Dify, a platform for building AI applications, is vulnerable to a path traversal flaw affecting version 1.14.1 and earlier. This vulnerability, identified as CVE-2026-41948, allows authenticated users to manipulate requests forwarded to the Plugin Daemon’s internal REST API. Attackers can exploit insufficient URL path sanitization to traverse out of their authorized tenant path using unencoded dot sequences (../) in task identifiers or manipulated filename parameters. This enables access to internal endpoints, including debug interfaces. Notably, Dify Cloud’s free self-registration feature lowers the barrier to entry, as attackers can trivially create accounts to probe and exploit the vulnerability, only requiring knowledge of the victim tenant’s UUID. This could lead to sensitive information disclosure or unauthorized modifications within the Dify environment.

Attack Chain

1. Attacker registers a free account on Dify Cloud.
2. Attacker identifies the UUID of a target tenant within Dify Cloud.
3. Attacker crafts a malicious request to the Plugin Daemon’s internal REST API, embedding a path traversal sequence (e.g., ../) in a task identifier or filename parameter.
4. The crafted request bypasses URL path sanitization due to insufficient validation of dot sequences.
5. The request is forwarded to an internal endpoint outside of the attacker’s authorized tenant path.
6. The attacker gains access to internal endpoints, such as debug interfaces.
7. Attacker leverages access to internal endpoints to gather sensitive information about the target tenant or the Dify Cloud infrastructure.
8. Attacker escalates privileges or performs unauthorized actions based on the gained information.

Impact

Successful exploitation of CVE-2026-41948 allows attackers to bypass tenant isolation within Dify environments. This can lead to the disclosure of sensitive information, such as API keys, internal configurations, or user data, from other tenants. The vulnerability could also allow attackers to perform unauthorized actions, such as modifying configurations or deploying malicious plugins, potentially impacting multiple users of the platform. Given that Dify Cloud offers free self-registration, the barrier to entry for exploitation is low, increasing the potential scope of impact.

Recommendation

• Upgrade Dify to a version patched against CVE-2026-41948 to remediate the path traversal vulnerability.
• Implement robust input validation and sanitization on URL paths within the Plugin Daemon’s internal REST API to prevent path traversal attacks.
• Monitor web server logs for suspicious requests containing path traversal sequences (e.g., ../) in URLs targeting the Plugin Daemon’s API, using the provided Sigma rule.
• Review and restrict access to internal endpoints to minimize the potential impact of unauthorized access.
• Implement strict tenant isolation policies and regularly audit access controls to prevent cross-tenant access.