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Mallory
UnratedPublic exploit

Budibase arbitrary file read via PWA ZIP symlink upload

IdentifiersCVE-2026-54352CWE-59

CVE-2026-54352 is an arbitrary file-read vulnerability in Budibase prior to version 3.39.9. The issue exists in the PWA ZIP processing workflow exposed through POST /api/pwa/process-zip (packages/server/src/api/routes/static.ts:24). A workspace-level builder can upload a crafted ZIP archive containing symlink entries and an icons.json that references those entries. Budibase extracts the archive using extract-zip@2.0.1, which preserves absolute symlink targets. During validation in packages/server/src/api/controllers/static/index.ts:259-268, the application resolves the icon path against baseDir, checks that the resolved string begins with baseDir + path.sep, and calls fs.existsSync(resolvedSrc). However, these checks do not reject symlink entries, and fs.existsSync follows symlinks. Later, packages/backend-core/src/objectStore/objectStore.ts:302 opens the resolved path with (await fsp.open(path)).createReadStream(), which also follows the symlink. As a result, the server reads the symlink target and streams its contents into MinIO, after which the bytes are retrievable via GET /api/assets/{appId}/pwa/{uuid}.png. This allows a builder to read any file the server process can access.

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ANALYST BRIEF

Impact, mitigation & remediation

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Impact

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Successful exploitation allows arbitrary read access to files readable by the Budibase server process. This can expose sensitive local files such as environment files, system account data, application secrets, internal API keys, object storage credentials, Redis/CouchDB/database credentials, and other tenant or platform secrets. Depending on deployment, disclosure of secrets such as JWT signing material may enable privilege escalation, including forging tokens and possible broader cross-tenant compromise in multi-tenant environments.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

If immediate patching is not possible, restrict or disable access to the POST /api/pwa/process-zip functionality for workspace builders, reject symlink entries during ZIP extraction and post-extraction validation, sanitize uploaded archives before processing, and disable symlink following where feasible. Additionally, run the Budibase server with least privilege, avoid running as root, and isolate sensitive files and secrets from the application filesystem to reduce exposure.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Upgrade Budibase to version 3.39.9 or later. The fix version is 3.39.9. Any vulnerable deployment running a version prior to 3.39.9 should be updated as the primary remediation.
PUBLIC EXPLOITS

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VALID 0 / 0 TOTALView more in app

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EXPOSURE SURFACE

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VendorProductType
BudibaseServerapplication

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