# CVE-2026-85272: Open edX Platform path traversal in archive extraction

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-85272-open-edx-platform-enables-the-authoring-and-delivery-of-online  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-09-18. Updated: 2026-09-26  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-85272 · Severity: medium · CVSS 4.3 · Published 2026-09-18

Open edX is a learning management platform used to author and deliver online courses. A course author or staff member with import permissions can upload a specially crafted archive file that escapes into a sibling course directory, potentially corrupting files in another course's staging area. The impact is limited to cross-tenant data corruption rather than arbitrary file access or code execution.

Technologies: [Open edX Platform](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/open-edx-platform). Vendors: [Open edX](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/open-edx).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-85272 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-85272 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-85272?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 4.3, published 18 September 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Open edX Platform Aspen.1 through Ulmo (fixed in Ulmo and Verawood.1).

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-85272?** A patch was published on 2026-09-18: Fixed in Ulmo and Verawood.1 releases Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-85272 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a web application.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-85272?** Check whether you run Open edX Platform 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.

## Technical details

The vulnerability exists in openedx/core/lib/extract_archive.py where the safe_extractall function validates extraction targets using string prefix comparison (startswith) instead of proper path component comparison. An attacker with course import permission can craft a .tar.gz archive where a member shares the base64 directory prefix with a sibling staging directory, causing the extraction to escape and corrupt files. A fix replaces the string-prefix check with commonpath to enforce proper directory boundaries.

## Affected products

- Open edX Open edX Platform Aspen.1 through Ulmo (fixed in Ulmo and Verawood.1)

## Timeline

- 2026-09-18: disclosed
- 2026-09-18: patched: Fixed in Ulmo and Verawood.1 releases

## References

- [https://github.com/openedx/openedx-platform/commit/8422334e2063015a28b6460a34aa4bb4d8ae1ca8](https://github.com/openedx/openedx-platform/commit/8422334e2063015a28b6460a34aa4bb4d8ae1ca8)
- [https://github.com/openedx/openedx-platform/commit/97de0586d878936c9f97c03fdaa20346ee8eac29](https://github.com/openedx/openedx-platform/commit/97de0586d878936c9f97c03fdaa20346ee8eac29)

## Related threats

- [Open edX Platform authorization bypass in course team API](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-97702-open-edx-platform-enables-the-authoring-and-delivery-of-online)
- [Open edX Platform SSRF in video download endpoint](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-55421-open-edx-platform-ssrf-in-video-download-endpoint)
- [Open edX Platform LTI replay attack in nonce validation](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-53636-open-edx-platform-lti-replay-attack-in-nonce-validation)
- [Open edX Platform privilege escalation in course price setting](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-53635-open-edx-platform-privilege-escalation-in-course-price-setting)
- [Open edX Platform open redirect in survey views](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-35404-open-edx-platform-open-redirect-in-survey-views)