CVE-2026-54055

MEDIUM CVSS 3.1: 5.0 EPSS 0.07%
Updated Jun 17, 2026
Kovidgoyal
Parameter Value
CVSS 5.0 (MEDIUM)
Affected Versions before 0.47.2
Fixed In 0.47.2
Type CWE-426, CWE-367 (Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU)), CWE-59 (Improper Link Resolution)
Vendor Kovidgoyal
Public PoC No

Kitty is a cross-platform GPU based terminal. In versions prior to 0.47.2, a local privilege escalation vulnerability exists in kitty's file transmission protocol where a child process running in the terminal can write to arbitrary files on the filesystem by exploiting a TOCTOU (Time-of-Check-Time-of-Use) race condition between symlink validation and file creation. The `os.open()` call used to create files does not use `O_NOFOLLOW`, allowing an attacker to create a symlink between the initial stat check and the actual file open, causing the write to follow the symlink to an arbitrary destination.

Version 0.47.2 fixes the issue.

Attack Parameters

Attack Vector
Local
Requires local access
Attack Complexity
High
Difficult to exploit
Privileges Required
Low
Basic privileges needed
User Interaction
Required
User action required

Impact Assessment

Confidentiality
None
No data leak
Integrity
High
Complete data modification
Availability
Low
Partial disruption

CVSS Vector v3.1

Vulnerable Products 1

Configuration From (including) Up to (excluding)
Kovidgoyal Kitty
cpe:2.3:a:kovidgoyal:kitty:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
0.47.2