CVE-2026-46486
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 · uneditedMVT (Mobile Verification Toolkit) helps with conducting forensics of mobile devices in order to find signs of a potential compromise. Prior to version 2026.5.12, there is a path traversal vulnerability via unsanitized File identifiers in iOS Backup processing. This issue has been patched in version 2026.5.12.
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 confidenceMVT (Mobile Verification Toolkit) contains a path traversal vulnerability in iOS Backup processing. The vulnerability allows attackers to access arbitrary files on the system via unsanitized File identifiers. This occurs because user-controlled file path inputs are not properly validated or sanitized before being used in file operations, allowing '..' sequences to traverse outside the intended backup directory.
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
- None
- Authentication
- X
- User interaction
- P
- Scope
- X
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:L/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
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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Check if MVT is installedRun command: pip show mvt or mvt --version. On systems with multiple Python environments, ensure you check the intended environment.Affected if MVT is not installed on the system
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Determine installed MVT versionRun: pip show mvt and look for the Version field, or mvt --versionAffected if The version is lower than 2026.5.12 (e.g., 2026.5.11, 2026.4.x, earlier releases)
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Identify if iOS Backup processing has been usedInspect the MVT usage history or look for any processed iOS backup directories. Check for presence of: mvt-ios check-backup command usage logs, or extracted backup files in working directories.Affected if iOS Backup processing module has been executed with user-supplied backup files
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Verify the backup source and file identifiersIf you have processed iOS backups, examine the backup manifest or file listing for any File identifiers containing path traversal sequences like ../../../ in the filename or reference fields.Affected if Any processed backup contained File identifiers with directory traversal sequences
You are affected if MVT version is earlier than 2026.5.12 and you have processed iOS backups using MVT, particularly with untrusted backup sources.
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.
dbcve · scopedUpgrade to MVT version 2026.5.12 or later, which includes proper sanitization of file identifiers in iOS Backup processing.
2026.5.12
- Upgrade MVT to version 2026.5.12 or later. Use pip install --upgrade mvt or follow the upgrade instructions in the official MVT repository.
- After upgrading, verify the installation by checking mvt --version to confirm the new version is installed.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-46486 — 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-2026-46486 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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