CVE-2026-14973
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 · uneditedIBM Aspera Desktop App 1.0.5 through 1.0.19 IBM Aspera for desktop can allow files to be written outside of the user's selected download destination.
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 · moderate confidenceIBM Aspera Desktop App versions 1.0.5 through 1.0.19 contains a path traversal vulnerability in the file download functionality. The application fails to properly validate or sanitize the destination path when saving downloaded files, allowing an attacker to write files to arbitrary locations on the filesystem outside the user's selected download directory.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data>= 1.0.5, <= 1.0.19CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
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 installed IBM Aspera Desktop App versionLocate the application installation directory and check the version information (typically in an About dialog, version file, or application properties)Affected if Installed version falls within 1.0.5 through 1.0.19
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Verify file download functionality is enabled or has been usedConfirm the Aspera Desktop App download feature is configured or has been used to transfer filesAffected if Download feature is active or has been used
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Review download directory configurationExamine application settings or configuration files to identify the configured download destination pathAffected if A download directory is set (the vulnerability affects any configured download path)
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Monitor for unexpected file writes outside download directoryInspect file system activity logs or use file integrity monitoring to detect writes to system directories, startup locations, or other paths outside the designated download folderAffected if Files are being written outside the selected download directory
User is affected if IBM Aspera Desktop App version 1.0.5 through 1.0.19 is installed and the file download functionality is in use, regardless of configured download path
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 dataUpgrade to IBM Aspera Desktop App version 1.0.20 or later which contains the vendor patch. Until patched, restrict application usage to trusted environments and monitor filesystem for unexpected file creation in system directories.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-14973 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
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-2026-14973 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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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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