# knowns path traversal in MCP tools

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/knowns-path-traversal-in-mcp-tools-d0d52c05  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-09-08. Updated: 2026-09-26  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

Severity: high · CVSS 8.8 · Published 2026-09-08

knowns is a document management and memory tool that processes file operations through MCP (Model Context Protocol) interfaces. Versions before 0.30.0 fail to properly validate file paths, allowing authenticated attackers to read, create, overwrite, and delete arbitrary Markdown files outside the intended project directory by supplying paths with directory traversal sequences (e.g., "../../../"). This could expose sensitive documents or allow an attacker to modify or remove critical files accessible to the server.

## Quick answers

**Is This vulnerability exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of This vulnerability being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is This vulnerability?** High severity, with a CVSS score of 8.8, published 8 September 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** knowns knowns before 0.30.0.

**Is there a fix for This vulnerability?** A patch was published on 2026-09-08: Version 0.30.0 released with fix Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is This vulnerability attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected?** Check whether anything you run is named in the advisory. 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 is a path traversal (CWE-22) flaw in the MCP Docs and Memory Tools components of knowns. The vulnerable code in doc_store.go and memory_store.go fails to validate or sanitize filesystem paths passed as arguments to MCP tools, allowing directory traversal sequences to escape the intended project directory. The attack requires low-level privileges (authenticated access to the MCP interface) and network reachability, but no user interaction. An attacker can exploit this to read confidential Markdown files, overwrite files to alter data integrity, or delete files to impact availability. A fix was released in version 0.30.0.

## Affected products

- knowns knowns before 0.30.0

## Timeline

- 2026-09-08: disclosed: Advisory published to GitHub Advisory Database
- 2026-09-08: patched: Version 0.30.0 released with fix

## References

- [https://api.github.com/users/portyu9](https://api.github.com/users/portyu9)