Vulnary
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Critical· 9.3

CVE-2026-14973

IBM Aspera Desktop App versions 1.0.5 through 1.0.19 can write files outside the user‑selected download folder, allowing an attacker to place files wherever they wish on the victim’s system. This flaw could overwrite important data or install malicious files, and it is considered critical due to its high impact and ease of exploitation.

publishedJul 28, 2026
last modifiedJul 29, 2026
sourcesNVD
severity · cvss
9.3
critical · how bad it is
exploitation · epss
<1%
37th percentile · chance of exploitation in 30 days
(ai-assisted) A model wrote this summary from the official data, so double-check it against the source before you act on it. Read the official advisory →
auto-deletes from the system
counting…on Sep 11, 2026

No official fix yet. If none appears within 45 days of first tracking, this entry is removed automatically.

01

Who is affected

IBM Aspera Desktop App versions 1.0.5 to 1.0.19, used by individuals who download files via the desktop client.

02

Real-world impact

An attacker could write malicious or unwanted files to arbitrary locations on the victim’s computer, potentially overwriting critical data or installing malware that could compromise the system.

03

Why this severity

The CVSS score of 9.3 reflects that the vulnerability can be exploited remotely without authentication, requires user interaction to download a file, and can lead to complete confidentiality loss.

04

What to do about it

no official fix yet
interim mitigations
  • Avoid using the affected versions of IBM Aspera Desktop App until a vendor patch is released. Consider disabling the application or restricting write permissions on the download directory. Monitor IBM’s security advisories for updates.

No official fix or mitigation is documented in the sources yet. Monitor the vendor advisory and apply the patch as soon as it is released.

No fix documented in sources

05

Timeline

06

How it’s attacked

Attack vectorNetwork (remote)
Attack complexityLow
Privileges requiredNone
User interactionRequired
ScopeChanged
Confidentiality impactHigh
Integrity impactHigh
Availability impactNone
07

References & advisories

(ai-assisted) A model wrote this summary from the official data, so double-check it against the source before you act on it. Read the official advisory →