---
id: "CVE-2026-123373"
page: "https://infrastack.ai/live/CVE-2026-123373"
kind: "vulnerability"
aliases: ["CVE-2026-123373"]
title: "compose-lint: symlinks and parser errors leak files outside the project"
severity: "low"
cvss: 2.3
epss: null
exploited: false
status: "open"
category: "package"
products: []
ecosystems: []
tags: ["ci", "compose-lint", "docker-compose", "package"]
not_affected_if: ["trusted-repos-only", "version-0.25.0-or-later"]
published_at: "2026-11-09T18:17:26+00:00"
first_seen_at: "2026-11-09T18:27:56+00:00"
updated_at: "2026-11-09T18:29:25+00:00"
sources: [{"source": "nvd", "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-123373", "first_seen_at": "2026-11-09T18:27:56+00:00"}]
exploit_sources: []
---

# compose-lint: symlinks and parser errors leak files outside the project

Link for people: https://infrastack.ai/live/CVE-2026-123373 (this .md is for agents)

compose-lint, a Docker Compose security linter, follows a project-controlled symbolic link to read Compose files outside the project directory. On a parse failure it can echo an external file line and expose credential-like key names from env_files in its findings.

_Summary, check and fix written by a model from the sources; labelled as such._

## How to check

- Check the installed compose-lint version with `compose-lint --version` or the package manifest; versions from `0.2.0` through `0.24.x` are affected.
- Look for projects that run compose-lint on repositories you do not fully control, since the symlink and env_file paths come from the scanned project.

## Fix

- compose-lint: upgrade to `0.25.0`

## Timeline

- 2026-11-09T18:27:56+00:00 nvd https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-123373

## Documents

- [advisory] Vendor advisory: github.com https://github.com/tmatens/compose-lint/security/advisories/GHSA-whr6-fgpq-fpv9
- [fix] Patch: github.com https://github.com/tmatens/compose-lint/commit/364814329417dbbc34d1ad2f3981f8a7a023799e
- [fix] Release notes: github.com https://github.com/tmatens/compose-lint/releases/tag/v0.25.0

## From the sources

compose-lint is a Docker Compose security linter that identifies dangerous misconfigurations before deployment. From 0.2.0 until 0.25.0, compose-lint follows a project-controlled symbolic link used as the Compose file outside the project. The same issue affects compose.override.yml and a COMPOSE_FILE entry from 0.22.0, and an env_file target from 0.23.0. If an external Compose-related target fails YAML parsing, the error quotes an attacker-uncontrolled line into standard error, JSON errors, and SARIF notifications, while an external env_file can expose credential-like key names through CL-0020 and CL-0021 findings. The attacker selects the target path but not the exact parser-failure line, values from env_file are not printed, and the pass or fail result is unchanged. This issue is fixed in version 0.25.0.

---

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