CVE Intelligence
High File handling

CVE-2026-87690 — Metasploit Framework ios_image_gather Path Traversal Leading to Arbitrary File Write and Code Execution

The Metasploit Framework post module post/apple_ios/gather/ios_image_gather is affected by a relative path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22). The module interpolates file names taken from a Meterpreter directory listing — data fully controlled by a hostile or tampered iOS device — directly into the local destination path passed to client.fs.file.download_file(), with no sanitization. The underlying stdapi sink (lib/rex/post/meterpreter/extensions/stdapi/fs/file.rb) writes to whatever path is supplied, so a listing entry such as ../../msfconsole.rc escapes the intended ~/.msf4/loot/<random> directory and overwrites ~/.msf4/msfconsole.rc, a resource file that every msfconsole invocation automatically executes at startup (lib/msf/ui/console/driver.rb:196). An attacker-controlled device that lures an operator into running this gather module achieves an arbitrary file write as the operator; because the written msfconsole.rc can load a second written file (a Ruby plugin whose top-level code runs on require), this converts into persistent code execution and an interactive shell as the operator (frequently root) on the pentester's workstation at the next console launch. The same traversal was previously fixed upstream in the recursive downloader (stdapi/fs/dir.rb scrubs separators); this module omitted the equivalent scrub. The fix applies the same separator scrub (or File.basename) to listing entries before building the local path.

Published Oct 12, 2026 · Updated Oct 14, 2026 · Sources: NIST National Vulnerability Database, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP, GitHub Security Advisories · CNA: rapid7

Who exploits it and how urgent it is

A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.

No exploitation signal in the sources consulted so far.
How the score was calculated
  • EPSS 0.4% (30-day exploitation probability)+5
  • Technical severity (high)+6

The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.

Exploitation
Not confirmed
Not in CISA KEV — an absence of record, not proof it is unexploited.
EPSS FIRST
0.41%
ahead of 34% of scored CVEs · Oct 14, 2026
Affects
Rapid7
Metasploit Framework
CVSS base
8.8
High · 3 source(s)

CISA SSVC assessment CISA

Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.

Exploitation
None
none · proof-of-concept · active
Automatable
No
can an attacker script the kill-chain steps
Technical impact
Total
partial · total control of the vulnerable component

Remediation

Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.

No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.

  1. Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Rapid7 Metasploit Framework).
  2. The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
  3. No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
  4. Exploitation requires user interaction: tighten email/web filtering and warn affected users.
  5. Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (file handling), errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

VendorProductVersionsStatusSource
Rapid7 Metasploit Framework < 6.5.5 Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

ScoreVersionSeverityExpl.ImpactScored by
8.8 CVSS 3.1 High 2.8 5.9 cve@rapid7.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database
8.8 CVSS 3.1 High — — GitHub, Inc. via GitHub Security Advisories
8.8 CVSS 3.1 High — — rapid7 via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H (score shown at the top: cve@rapid7.com)

Weakness MITRE

Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.

CWE-22 · Path Traversal

Other CVEs with this weakness →

EPSS over time FIRST

Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 2 reading(s) · max 0.41%

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.

  • Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
  • Monitor file creation in web directories and paths with traversal sequences (../).
web/proxy/WAF logsnetwork IDS/IPSfile integrity (FIM)endpoint telemetry (EDR)

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

  • 2026
  • SSVC assessment updated
    Oct 14, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • Affected products added · rapid7/metasploit framework
    Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • Record published
    Oct 13, 2026
  • CVSS changed · 8.8
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Source status changed · → Received
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Record created in this database
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • CVE published
    Oct 12, 2026 · rapid7

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

  • 1× References added · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
  • 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026

References

7 on the record

Elsewhere on this site

Rapid7
every CVE for this vendor
File handling
same class
CWE-22
other pages naming this weakness

Related CVEs (same products)

  • CVE-2026-87689 Metasploit Framework Web Service REST API Missing Authentication on Credential Endpoints 2d

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

  • No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
  • No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
  • No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
  • No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record

Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2026-87690 is "Metasploit Framework ios_image_gather Path Traversal Leading to Arbitrary File Write and Code Execution", rated High. It affects Metasploit Framework (Rapid7); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 8.8 describes technical severity. EPSS 0.41% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.

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