High severity · published Jul 17, 2026
CVE-2026-45309
AsyncSSH `AuthorizedKeysFile %u` path traversal allows attacker-selected authorized keys to authenticate a traversal username
7.5
CVSS
0.6%
EPSS
No
On KEV
Description
AsyncSSH is a Python package which provides an asynchronous client and server implementation of the SSHv2 protocol on top of the Python asyncio framework. Prior to 2.23.0, AsyncSSH expands the OpenSSH-compatible AuthorizedKeysFile %u token in asyncssh/config.py, asyncssh/connection.py, asyncssh/auth_keys.py, and asyncssh/misc.py with the raw SSH username during pre-authentication server config reload, allowing a server configured with AuthorizedKeysFile authorized_keys/%u to read an authorized-keys file outside the intended directory when the SSH username contains /, \, or .. path traversal segments and authenticate with an attacker-selected key file. This issue is fixed in version 2.23.0.
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
None
Scope
Unchanged
Exploitation
Is it being used?
Exploit prediction (EPSS)0.6% · higher than 48% of CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo evidence yet
CISA KEVNot listed
Ransomware campaign useNot known
Affected products
Which versions
AS
asyncssh · ronf
< 2.23.0 · source: vendor, NVD
References
NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-45309
CVE.org
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-45309
Patch
https://github.com/ronf/asyncssh/commit/2af2382cce946c959a378a62f257af253dc4ab51
Patch
https://github.com/ronf/asyncssh/commit/3d515ba9ba0cd9990d248bdf62bcf05d51261a88
Exploit
https://github.com/ronf/asyncssh/security/advisories/GHSA-g794-3fmp-753h
More from asyncssh
8.1
CVE-2026-54591
AsyncSSH: SCP Path Traversal to Arbitrary File Write
6.5
CVE-2026-62949
AsyncSSH: asyncio event-loop freeze via SSH maximum packet size = 0 in SSH_MSG_CHANNEL_OPEN / OPEN_CONFIRMATION
5.9
CVE-2026-54590
AsyncSSH AuthorizedKeysFile username substitution bypass through ~ and environment expansion
