# CVE-2026-55488: motionEye path traversal in media file handlers

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-55488-motioneye-path-traversal-in-media-file-handlers  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-06-24. Updated: 2026-06-24  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-55488 · Severity: high · CVSS 7.5 · Published 2026-06-24

motionEye, a web-based interface for video surveillance systems, contains a security flaw that allows unauthorized access to system files. By sending a specially crafted web request, an attacker can bypass security restrictions to read sensitive configuration files or other data stored on the server. This could lead to the exposure of private surveillance data or system credentials, potentially compromising the entire security camera setup.

Technologies: [motioneye (PyPI)](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/motioneye). Vendors: [PyPI](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/pypi).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-55488 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-55488 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-55488?** High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.5, published 24 June 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** motioneye (PyPI) < 0.44.0, ECOSYSTEM:introduced=0,fixed=0.44.0.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-55488?** Yes. motioneye (PyPI): upgrade to 0.44.0 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-55488 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a network appliance.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-55488?** Check whether you run motioneye (PyPI) at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## How to fix

- motioneye (PyPI): upgrade to 0.44.0 or later

  ```sh
  pip install "motioneye>=0.44.0"
  ```


## Technical details

An absolute path traversal vulnerability exists in motionEye's media playback and download handlers (including movie playback, movie download, picture download, and picture preview). The root cause is the insecure use of `os.path.join()` in `mediafiles.get_media_path()`; when a user-supplied `filename` parameter is an absolute path, Python's `os.path.join` discards the intended base directory. Furthermore, the application explicitly overrides Tornado's `StaticFileHandler` safety checks (`get_absolute_path` and `validate_absolute_path`), removing built-in protections against path traversal. An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit this to read any file on the host filesystem that the motionEye process has permissions to access. The issue is resolved in version 0.44.0.

## Affected products

- motioneye-project motionEye < 0.44.0

## Identifiers

- CVE-2026-55488
- GHSA-rw9q-97r9-8gvh
- PYSEC-2026-2667

## Timeline

- 2026-06-20: advisory: GitHub Security Advisory published
- 2026-06-24: disclosed: NVD publication date

## References

- [https://github.com/motioneye-project/motioneye/security/advisories/GHSA-rw9q-97r9-8gvh](https://github.com/motioneye-project/motioneye/security/advisories/GHSA-rw9q-97r9-8gvh)

## Related threats

- [motionEye missing authentication in ActionHandler](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-55863-motioneye-missing-authentication-in-actionhandler)
- [motionEye authentication bypass via password hash in cookies](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-46488-motioneye-authentication-bypass-via-password-hash-in-cookies)
- [PYSEC-2026-681 - Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type in motionEye](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2021-44255-unrestricted-upload-of-file-with-dangerous-type-in-motioneye)
- [motionEye insecure file permissions in motion.conf](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-32315-motioneye-insecure-file-permissions-in-motion-conf)
- [motionEye path traversal in picture and movie API endpoints](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-31978-motioneye-path-traversal-in-picture-and-movie-api-endpoints)