CVE-2026-50663
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 · uneditedRelative path traversal in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition Game allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over a network.
In the news
Third-party coverage- Microsoft July 2026 Patch Tuesday fixes massive 570 flaws, 3 zero-days
- Microsoft CVE Summary - Bleeping Computer
- what did you learn today? (part 2) | Page 841 | Ars OpenForum
Surfaced from public web coverage — external links open in a new tab.
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 confidenceA relative path traversal vulnerability in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition allows remote attackers to manipulate file paths using '../' sequences, potentially accessing sensitive files outside the intended directory and executing arbitrary code through network-based attacks.
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< 177723CVSS 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
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Locate installed Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition versionOpen Steam, right-click Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, select Properties, then Local Files, and click Browse Local Files. Right-click the game executable (AoE2DE_s.exe or similar) and select Properties > Details to view the File Version or Product Version. Alternatively, check within the game lobby for the build number displayed.Affected if The displayed version or build number is lower than 177723
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Confirm network file loading capability is activeCheck if any mods, custom scenarios, or user-generated content are being loaded from network shares or remote locations. Inspect the game's 'mods' or 'scenario' folders for any content loaded from non-local paths.Affected if The game is configured to load scenarios, mods, or content from network locations or custom file paths that could be manipulated with '../' sequences
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Verify game executable integrityUse file integrity monitoring or checksum verification on the main game executable (AoE2DE_s.exe) and related DLL files in the installation directory to detect any unauthorized modifications.Affected if The executable or associated DLLs have been modified from their original state, potentially indicating exploitation attempts
You are affected if your installed Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition version is below build 177723 AND you use network-loaded content, mods, or custom scenarios that could be manipulated through path traversal.
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 data177723
Implement strict input validation and sanitization on all file path parameters, using allowlists and canonicalization to ensure paths resolve within expected directories, and disable or restrict file operations from untrusted network sources.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-50663 — 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-2026-50663 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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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.
- 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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