CVE-2026-45405: dokku vulnerability

What is known

Dokku is a docker-powered PaaS. Prior to 0.38.2, the git:from-archive and certs:add commands extract user-supplied tar/zip archives into temporary directories without sanitizing member paths or preventing symlink traversal. GNU tar creates symlinks during extraction and follows them for subsequent entries, allowing an attacker to write arbitrary files anywhere writable by the dokku user — including overwriting ~/.ssh/authorized_keys to gain unrestricted shell access. This vulnerability is fixed in 0.38.2.

Business impact

Successful exploitation of CVE-2026-45405, a critical vulnerability (CVSS 9.0) affecting dokku, may affect the confidentiality, integrity or availability of the vulnerable environment. The exact impact depends on the installed version, exposed interfaces and deployment configuration.

Recommended administrator action

Confirm whether dokku is present and compare installed versions with the vendor advisory and NVD record. Apply the vendor patch or documented mitigation; until remediation is complete, reduce exposure of affected interfaces, review relevant logs and monitor for indicators of exploitation. DataHouse can support version verification, managed patching, network exposure reduction, log review and backup validation for dedicated, cloud and colocated environments.

Sources

• NVD
• Reference
• Reference