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CursorApplication · Anysphere

CVE-2026-50548

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-06-25
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.0 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click 8 weeks old

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 · unedited
Cursor is a code editor built for programming with AI. Prior to 3.0, Cursor runs agent terminal commands in a sandbox by default, and the sandbox grants write access to the command's working directory. A flaw was identified in how the agent could modify the working_directory parameter, which could cause the sandbox to include writable paths outside the intended workspace. A malicious agent could set working_directory to a sensitive location and write arbitrary files outside the workspace under the user's privileges. This enables non-sandboxed Remote Code Execution — for example by overwriting the cursorsandbox helper so later commands run unsandboxed — with no user interaction beyond a benign prompt. This vulnerability is fixed in 3.0.

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 confidence

In versions prior to 3.0, Cursor's agent terminal sandbox mechanism grants write access to a configurable working_directory. The vulnerability allows a malicious agent to manipulate this parameter to point to sensitive system locations, enabling arbitrary file write under the user's privileges. This can overwrite the cursorsandbox helper binary to disable sandboxing entirely, achieving unauthenticated RCE with no user interaction beyond accepting a prompt.

MitigationUpgrade to Cursor version 3.0 or later, which contains the fix for this vulnerability. Organizations should also review AI agent configurations and monitor for any unauthorized modifications to the cursorsandbox binary.

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
CursorApplication
Affected:< 3.0

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
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check installed Cursor version
    Open Cursor and go to Help > About, or run 'cursor --version' from command line if available. Compare the version number to 3.0.
    Affected if Version is below 3.0 (e.g., 2.x series)
  2. Verify agent terminal sandbox is in use
    Check if you have enabled or used the AI agent terminal feature in Cursor. Look for agent-related settings or recent agent terminal sessions in the application.
    Affected if Agent terminal sandbox feature has been enabled or used
  3. Inspect working_directory configuration
    Examine Cursor's settings or configuration files for any custom working_directory parameter set for the agent terminal sandbox. This is typically found in settings.json, cursor config, or agent configuration files.
    Affected if A custom working_directory is configured pointing to user-writable locations
  4. Locate and verify cursorsandbox binary
    Search for the 'cursorsandbox' helper binary on the system (common locations: ~/.cursor/bin/, /usr/local/bin/, or within the Cursor application directory). Check if it exists and note its file permissions.
    Affected if cursorsandbox binary exists and is writable by the user account

You are affected if running Cursor version below 3.0 AND the agent terminal sandbox with a configurable working directory has been enabled, allowing potential overwrite of the cursorsandbox binary.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 3.0 or later
Fixed in 3.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Cursor version 3.0 or later, which contains the fix for this vulnerability. Organizations should also review AI agent configurations and monitor for any unauthorized modifications to the cursorsandbox binary.

Recommended fix High confidence

Cursor 3.0

  1. Ensure you have an active internet connection and your current Cursor installation is accessible
  2. Open Cursor and navigate to the help or settings area to check for updates
  3. If an update to version 3.0 is available, click to download and install it
  4. Alternatively, download Cursor version 3.0 directly from the official Cursor website or GitHub releases
  5. Restart Cursor after the installation completes
  6. Verify the installation by checking the version number in the About section

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Cursor Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $750
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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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-50548 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data