CVE-2026-10278
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedA vulnerability was determined in ishayoyo excel-mcp up to 1.0.2. Impacted is an unknown function of the file src/index.ts of the component read_file/write_file. Executing a manipulation of the argument filePath/outputPath can lead to path traversal. It is possible to launch the attack remotely. The exploit has been publicly disclosed and may be utilized. The project was informed of the problem early through an issue report but has not responded yet.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceThe excel-mcp library versions up to 1.0.2 contain a path traversal vulnerability in the read_file and write_file functions within src/index.ts. By manipulating the filePath or outputPath arguments to include directory traversal sequences (such as '../'), an attacker can read or write files outside the intended directory. This is a classic path traversal vulnerability with remote attack potential.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify if excel-mcp is installedRun 'npm list excel-mcp' or check package.json for 'ishayoyo/excel-mcp' dependencyAffected if The package is listed with a version <= 1.0.2 or no version specified (implying latest which includes the vulnerability)
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Locate the vulnerable source fileFind src/index.ts in the excel-mcp package directory (typically in node_modules/ishayoyo-excel-mcp/)Affected if The file exists and contains read_file and/or write_file function definitions
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Check if path validation exists in read_file/write_fileInspect src/index.ts for path traversal protections such as path canonicalization (path.resolve, path.normalize) or allowlist validation before file operationsAffected if No input validation or only basic checks are present; filePath/outputPath are used directly in fs operations without validation
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Determine if functions are exposed to user inputReview how read_file/write_file are exported or called - check if filePath/outputPath parameters accept user-supplied valuesAffected if The functions accept external input without sanitization and can be invoked with arbitrary file paths
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Test for path traversal capabilityIf you can invoke read_file with a path like '../../../etc/passwd' or similar, observe if it accesses files outside intended directoryAffected if The traversal sequence ../ successfully accesses files outside the intended base directory
You are affected if excel-mcp version 1.0.2 or lower is installed AND the read_file/write_file functions are accessible with user-controlled file paths lacking proper path validation.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataImplement strict input validation on filePath and outputPath arguments to reject paths containing traversal sequences ('..') and ensure all file operations are constrained to an allowed base directory using techniques like realpath() resolution or directory allowlisting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-10278 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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