MEDIUM CVSS 5.0
Published: 2026-06-12

CVE-2026-54055

kovidgoyal kitty Security Advisory (CVE-2026-54055)
↗ Official NIST NVD Record
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CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2026-54055 impacting kovidgoyal kitty. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 5.0 (MEDIUM).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
Kitty is a cross-platform GPU based terminal. In versions prior to 0.47.2, a local privilege escalation vulnerability exists in kitty's file transmission protocol where a child process running in the terminal can write to arbitrary files on the filesystem by exploiting a TOCTOU (Time-of-Check-Time-of-Use) race condition between symlink validation and file creation. The `os.open()` call used to create files does not use `O_NOFOLLOW`, allowing an attacker to create a symlink between the initial stat check and the actual file open, causing the write to follow the symlink to an arbitrary destination. Version 0.47.2 fixes the issue.

📊 CVSS v3.1 Metric Breakdown

Attack Vector
Local (AV:L)
Requires local system execution permissions
Attack Complexity
High (AC:H)
Depends on race conditions or environment
Privileges Required
Low (PR:L)
Standard user access required
User Interaction
Required (UI:R)
User must click or open resource
Scope
Unchanged (S:U)
Confined to same security context
Confidentiality
None (C:N)
No data confidentiality impact
Integrity
High (I:H)
Total modification of target system
Availability
Low (A:L)
Partial service performance degradation

🎯 Affected Versions Matrix

Affected Product kovidgoyal / kitty
Affected Versions *
Weakness Enumeration CWE-59

Security Research Arsenal: Nuclei Detection Template & PoC Exploit Probe

High-Intent Research Tool

Ready-to-use security scanner signatures, active verification probe skeletons, and remediation playbooks for CVE-2026-54055 impacting kovidgoyal kitty.

⚡ Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2026-54055.yaml
id: cve-2026-54055

info:
  name: kovidgoyal kitty - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: medium
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2026-54055 affecting kovidgoyal kitty.
    Evaluation: Kitty is a cross-platform GPU based terminal. In versions prior to 0.47.2, a local privilege escalation vulnerability exists in kitty's file tran...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2026-54055
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:L
    cvss-score: 5.0
    cve-id: CVE-2026-54055
    cwe-id: CWE-59
  tags: cve,cve-2026-54055,kovidgoyal,kitty,medium

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "kitty"
        part: body
🐍 PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2026-54055.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2026-54055
# Target: kovidgoyal kitty | CVSS: 5.0 (MEDIUM)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2026-54055 (kovidgoyal kitty)...")
    headers = {
        "User-Agent": "CyberVault-Audit-Scanner/2.0",
        "Accept": "*/*"
    }
    try:
        r = requests.get(f"{target_url.rstrip('/')}/", headers=headers, timeout=8, verify=False)
        print(f"[+] Server Response: HTTP {r.status_code} | Server Banner: {r.headers.get('Server', 'Unknown')}")
        if r.status_code < 500:
            print(f"[!] Target reachable. Verify version against kovidgoyal kitty scope (*).")
        return True
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"[-] Connection Error: {e}")
        return False

if __name__ == '__main__':
    url = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else "http://localhost:8080"
    verify_vulnerability(url)
🛡️ Quick Patch & Remediation Script (Bash) patch_cve-2026-54055.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2026-54055
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install kitty 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade kitty 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update kitty

# 2. Inspect installed package versions for vulnerable scope:
dpkg -l | grep -i kitty 2>/dev/null || rpm -qa | grep -i kitty

# 3. Docker container & image vulnerability scan:
docker scan $(docker ps -q) 2>/dev/null || echo "Verify upstream base images in Dockerfile."

🛡️ Remediation & Security Action

  • Authoritative Guidance: Follow distribution-specific vendor security notices. Advisory status and package patches vary by distribution release.
  • Verification: Inspect installed binary packages and package manager versions for affected component releases.
  • Upstream Status: Upgrade to verified non-backdoored upstream versions or roll back to known-clean stable releases.
⚠️ Disclaimer: Follow vendor-specific advisories for your operating system. CyberVault does not fabricate unsupported remediation scripts.

🔗 Verified Technical References

Authorities
  • No records filed in this category.
Distributions
  • No records filed in this category.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Remediation Guide

How do I fix CVE-2026-54055 in kovidgoyal kitty?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update kovidgoyal kitty packages to the latest patched release immediately. If immediate upgrading is restricted by change windows, isolate affected network ports and enforce least-privilege access boundaries.

Is there an active exploit or public PoC for CVE-2026-54055?

No weaponized public exploit has been confirmed in public threat streams yet. Continuous surveillance is active across GitHub and security feeds.

What is the CVSS 3.1 severity rating and impact for CVE-2026-54055?

CVE-2026-54055 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 5.0 (MEDIUM). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
5.0
MEDIUM SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2026-54055
Weakness CWE-59
Vendor kovidgoyal
Product kitty
Published 2026-06-12
Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:L