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🛡️ CVE-2025-55214 — copier

⚪ Unknown ✅ No Known Exploit CWE-22 NVD
N/A
CVSS Score
0 Low4 Medium7 High9 Critical10

Description

Copier's safe template has filesystem write access outside destination path

Impact

Copier suggests that it's safe to generate a project from a safe template, i.e. one that doesn't use [unsafe](https://copier.readthedocs.io/en/stable/configuring/#unsafe) features like custom Jinja extensions which would require passing the --UNSAFE,--trust flag. As it turns out, a safe template can currently write files outside the destination path where a project shall be generated or updated. This is possible when rendering a [generated directory structure](https://copier.readthedocs.io/en/stable/configuring/#generating-a-directory-structure) whose rendered path is either a relative parent path or an absolute path. Constructing such paths is possible using Copier's builtin pathjoin Jinja filter and its builtin _copier_conf.sep variable, which is the platform-native path separator. This way, a malicious template author can create a template that overwrites arbitrary files (according to the user's write permissions), e.g., to cause havoc.

Write access via generated relative path

Reproducible example:

```shell

echo "foo" > forbidden.txt

mkdir src/

echo "bar" > "src/{{ pathjoin('..', 'forbidden.txt') }}"

uvx copier copy src/ dst/

cat forbidden.txt

```

Write access via generated absolute path

Reproducible example:

  • POSIX:

```shell

# Assumption: The current working directory is /tmp/test-copier-vulnerability/

echo "foo" > forbidden.txt

mkdir src/

echo "bar" > "src/{{ pathjoin(_copier_conf.sep, 'tmp', 'test-copier-vulnerability', 'forbidden.txt') }}"

uvx --from copier python -O -m copier copy --overwrite src/ dst/

cat forbidden.txt

```

  • Windows (PowerShell):

```powershell

# Assumption: The current working directory is C:\Users\<user>\Temp\test-copier-vulnerability

echo "foo" > forbidden.txt

mkdir src

Set-Content -Path src\copier.yml @'

drive:

type: str

default: "C:"

when: false

'@

echo "bar" > "src\{{ pathjoin(drive, 'Users', '<user>', 'Temp', 'test-copier-vulnerability', 'forbidden.txt') }}"

uvx --from copier python -O -m copier copy --overwrite src dst

cat forbidden.txt

```

This scenario is slightly less severe, as Copier has a few [assertions of the destination path being relative](https://github.com/copier-org/copier/blob/d106ea543fd26e1ac1b9a3dcef3e99cc70fdf57c/copier/_main.py#L747) which would typically be raised. But python -O (or PYTHONOPTIMIZE=x) removes asserts, so these guards may be ineffective. In addition, this scenario will prompt for overwrite confirmation or require the --overwrite flag for non-interactive mode; yet malicious file writes might go unnoticed.

How this vulnerability can be exploited

This issue can be reached with local access to the system, attack complexity is low, an attacker needs no privileges on the target. A user must be tricked into taking some action. Rated impact: confidentiality none, integrity high, availability high.

CVSS metrics in full

The score comes from this vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:N/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

  • Attack vector: Local — a local account, shell or session on the host is needed.
  • Attack complexity: Low — the attack works reliably, with no preparation.
  • Attack requirements: None — no deployment-specific condition has to hold.
  • Privileges required: None — an unauthenticated stranger can try it.
  • User interaction: Passive — a victim action is involved, but not a deliberate one.
  • Confidentiality impact: None.
  • Integrity impact: High — total loss, or loss the attacker controls.
  • Availability impact: High — total loss, or loss the attacker controls.

Weakness class

CVE-2025-55214 is classified as CWE-22: Path Traversal. A file path built from user input is not confined to the intended directory, letting an attacker reach files elsewhere on the filesystem.

Affected software

CVE-2025-55214 is recorded against 2 packages.

  • copier (from 7.1.0 up to 9.9.1)
  • unknown

Timeline and source

Published on 18 August 2025 and last revised on 7 July 2026. No public exploit is currently recorded for this entry. Record sourced from NVD.

References

github.com (Web)
nvd.nist.gov (Advisory)
github.com (Web)
github.com (Package)

Other advisories for this package

copier has other advisories on record. If you are patching this one, these are worth checking on the same host:

Same weakness in other software

These advisories are the same class of weakness (CWE-22: Path Traversal) in other software:

Details

Severity Unknown
CVSS Score N/A
CVSS Vector CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:N/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
CWE CWE-22
Public Exploit ✅ No
Source NVD
Published 2025-08-18
Updated 2026-08-20
Modified 2026-07-07
Fix URL N/A

Affected Packages

Software From version Fixed in
copier 7.1.0 9.9.1
unknown

Similar Threats

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ⓘ Data Notice: The information presented above has been compiled from publicly available internet sources. Boteraser aggregates this data solely for informational purposes and does not independently classify, evaluate, or endorse any findings about the vulnerabilities listed. The accuracy and completeness of this information is the sole responsibility of the original publishers. Boteraser and its operators accept no liability for any decisions made based on this data.

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