Minio · Minio · CVE-2026-42600
**Name of the Vulnerable Software and Affected Versions**
MinIO versions RELEASE.2022-07-24T01-54-52Z through RELEASE.2025-09-07T16-13-09Z
**Description**
A path traversal issue in the `ReadMultiple` internode storage-REST endpoint allows an attacker with the cluster root JWT to read files outside the configured drive roots. This affects distributed-erasure (multi-node) deployments, while single-node standalone deployments are not affected. The attack requires an HS512 JWT signed with `MINIO ROOT PASSWORD` and the `accessKey` set to `MINIO ROOT USER`.
The issue occurs because the `ReadMultiple` handler in `cmd/storage-rest-server.go` forwards the `Bucket`, `Prefix`, and `Files` fields from a msgpack-encoded `ReadMultipleReq` body to `xlStorage.ReadMultiple` in `cmd/xl-storage.go` without validation. The `pathJoin` function resolves `..` components, allowing access to any path on the filesystem accessible by the MinIO process UID. An attacker can trigger this by sending a POST request to '/minio/storage/{drivePath}/v63/rmpl' with traversal sequences in the `Bucket` field.
Impact varies by deployment: on bare-metal systems, access is limited to files owned by the MinIO UID (e.g., TLS private keys, KMS/KES key material); in containerized environments running as UID 0, it allows arbitrary host-filesystem disclosure, including `/etc/shadow` and Kubernetes service-account tokens.
**Recommendations**
Upgrade to MinIO AIStor version RELEASE.2024-10-23T19-38-07Z or later.
Rotate the root credential and restrict its distribution to prevent unauthorized JWT minting.
Configure MinIO containers to run as a non-root user by setting `securityContext.runAsNonRoot: true` or using the `--user` flag in Docker.
Use the `--internode-port` flag to isolate internode traffic on a separate interface and block that interface from client networks.