Quick answer
Direct answer
Risk scores
| CVSS metric | What it means |
|---|---|
| Attack vector (AV:N) | Network: reachable remotely |
| Attack complexity (AC:L) | Low complexity |
| Attack requirements (AT:N) | No attack requirements |
| Privileges required (PR:N) | No privileges required |
| User interaction (UI:N) | No user interaction |
| Confidentiality (VC:H) | High confidentiality impact |
| Integrity (VI:H) | High integrity impact |
| Availability (VA:H) | High availability impact |
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
About Anysphere Cursor
CVE-2026-50548 affects Anysphere Cursor, a product from Anysphere. Before acting, confirm where Anysphere Cursor runs in your estate, who owns it and whether it is reachable from the internet, because exposure decides real risk more than the score alone.
What the flaw is
In plain terms: Cursor is a code editor built for programming with AI. Prior to 3.0, Cursor runs agent terminal commands in a sandbox by default, and the sandbox grants write access to the command's working directory. A flaw was identified in how the agent could modify the working_directory parameter, which could cause the sandbox to include writable paths outside the intended workspace. A malicious agent could set working_directory to a sensitive location and write arbitrary files outside the workspace under the user's privileges. This enables non-sandboxed Remote Code Execution — for example by overwriting the cursorsandbox helper so later commands run unsandboxed — with no user interaction beyond a benign prompt. This vulnerability is fixed in 3.0.
The weakness class is Path Traversal. An attacker can reach files outside the intended folder by tampering with a file path.
Based on its CVSS vector, the flaw can be reached over the network, needs no login, and needs no user interaction. Apply the vendor fix and confirm exposure on internet facing and business critical assets first.
Affected versions and timeline
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Product | Anysphere Cursor |
| Affected versions | Cursor before 3.0 |
| Published | Jun 25, 2026 |
| Last modified | Jun 26, 2026 |
| Added to CISA KEV | Not listed |
| Assigning CNA | security-advisories@github.com |
How to detect it
- Inventory every instance of Anysphere Cursor and record the running version against the affected range above.
- Check external attack surface scans for internet facing instances of the component.
- Review logs on affected systems for unusual requests, errors or new processes around the vulnerable function.
- Confirm with an authenticated vulnerability scan once your scanner has a check for this CVE.
How to fix it
- Apply the fixed version of Anysphere Cursor named in the vendor advisory.
- If patching must wait, restrict network access to the affected service and put it behind authentication or a web application firewall rule.
- Rescan after the change to prove the exposure is gone, then close the ticket.
CTEM action plan
| CTEM stage | What to do for this CVE |
|---|---|
| Scope | Add every business service that depends on Anysphere Cursor to the current CTEM cycle. |
| Discover | Find all instances, including shadow and cloud deployments, and record versions and exposure. |
| Prioritize | Rank using EPSS and CVSS together with asset exposure and business impact. |
| Validate | Confirm the flaw is reachable and exploitable in your environment and that compensating controls work. |
| Mobilize | Assign the fix to the asset owner with a due date matched to the priority, then verify closure. |
CWE References
- CWE-22: Path Traversal More CVEs with this weakness
Technical References
Frequently asked questions
Related CVEs
Cursor is a code editor built for programming with AI. Prior to 3.0, Cursor runs agent terminal commands in a sandbox by default. Before a Write, the agent canonicalizes the target path to confirm it stays inside the workspace, but when canonicalization fails it falls back to the original path and writes without approval. A malicious agent can create an in-workspace symlink that points outside the workspace and force canonicalization to fail — either because the target does not exist or because read permission is removed from the path — so the agent writes through the symlink to an arbitrary location without approval. A malicious agent could write arbitrary files outside the workspace under the user's privileges. This enables non-sandboxed Remote Code Execution — for example by overwriting the cursorsandbox helper so later commands run unsandboxed — with no user interaction beyond a benign prompt. This vulnerability is fixed in 3.0.
Cursor is a code editor built for programming with AI. Prior to 2.0 ,if a visited website contains maliciously crafted instructions, the model may attempt to follow them in order to “assist” the user. When combined with a bypass of the command whitelist mechanism, such indirect prompt injections could result in commands being executed automatically, without the user’s explicit intent, thereby posing a significant security risk. This vulnerability is fixed in 2.0.
Cursor is a code editor built for programming with AI. Sandbox escape via writing .git configuration was possible in versions prior to 2.5. A malicious agent (ie prompt injection) could write to improperly protected .git settings, including git hooks, which may cause out-of-sandbox RCE next time they are triggered. No user interaction was required as Git executes these commands automatically. Fixed in version 2.5.
Cursor is a code editor built for programming with AI. Prior to 2.3, hen the Cursor Agent is running in Auto-Run Mode with Allowlist mode enabled, certain shell built-ins can still be executed without appearing in the allowlist and without requiring user approval. This allows an attacker via indirect or direct prompt injection to poison the shell environment by setting, modifying, or removing environment variables that influence trusted commands. This vulnerability is fixed in 2.3.
Mesop is a Python-based UI framework that allows users to build web applications. Versions 1.2.2 and below contain a Path Traversal vulnerability that allows any user supplying an untrusted state_token through the UI stream payload to arbitrarily target files on the disk under the standard file-based runtime backend. This can result in application denial of service (via crash loops when reading non-msgpack target files as configurations), or arbitrary file manipulation. This vulnerability heavily exposes systems hosted utilizing FileStateSessionBackend. Unauthorized malicious actors could interact with arbitrary payloads overwriting or explicitly removing underlying service resources natively outside the application bounds. This issue has been fixed in version 1.2.3.
Vociferous provides cross-platform, offline speech-to-text with local AI refinement. Prior to 4.4.2, the vulnerability exists in src/api/system.py within the export_file route. The application accepts a JSON payload containing a filename and content. While the developer intended for a native UI dialog to handle the file path, the API does not validate the filename string before it is processed by the backends filesystem logic. Because the API is unauthenticated and the CORS configuration in app.py is overly permissive (allow_origins=["*"] or allowing localhost), an external attacker can bypass the UI entirely. By using directory traversal sequences (../), an attacker can force the app to write arbitrary data to any location accessible by the current user's permissions. This vulnerability is fixed in 4.4.2.
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