CVE-2026-59866: Kiota: Arbitrary file write + code-injection via x-ms-kiota-info clientClassName and clientNamespaceName
Summary
Microsoft Kiota emitted the x-ms-kiota-info extension's clientClassName or clientNamespaceName value raw, with no identifier or path sanitization, as both the generated client's class/namespace name and part of the generated output path. When kiota generate is run without -c/--class-name — the zero-config workflow that x-ms-kiota-info is explicitly designed for (the API provider supplies the names in the description so consumers don't have to) — an attacker who controls or tampers with the OpenAPI description could therefore:
- (CWE-22) write the generated source file to a path outside the -o output directory — e.g. clientClassName: "/var/www/html/shell"; and - (CWE-94) inject arbitrary text into the generated class/namespace declaration, corrupting the generated client.
Confirmed on Kiota 1.32.4 (the self-contained linux-x64 release binary), i.e. after the earlier writer-sink hardening — that fix escaped property/enum/default/serialization sinks but never sanitized the provider-supplied clientClassName / clientNamespaceName.
Details
clientClassName reached two unsanitized sinks (observed in the generated C#; the same raw emission occurred for Java, Go, TypeScript, Python, and PHP):
output FILENAME (CWE-22): clientClassName flows into the file path clientClassName: "/abs/path/PWNED" -> /abs/path/PWNED.cs (written outside -o)
class declaration (CWE-94): clientClassName flows verbatim into the type declaration clientClassName: 'Pwn { } public class INJECTED { } public partial class RealClient' -> public partial class Pwn { } public class INJECTED { } public partial class RealClient : ... { }
clientNamespaceName reached the analogous namespace/path sinks.
Impact
A developer or CI host generating a client from an attacker-controlled or compromised OpenAPI description (without -c) could create/overwrite a generated source file at an attacker-influenced path and emit attacker-controlled text into the generated client.
This does not reach clean remote code execution: because clientClassName is reused verbatim at multiple sites (the class name and the constructor name), injected code cannot be made to compile — it breaks the build. So the code-injection vector is a generation/build-corruption (integrity/DoS), and the high-severity primitive is the file write. CWE-22 / CWE-94.
Patches
Fixed in 1.32.5 (https://github.com/microsoft/kiota/pull/7884). clientClassName and clientNamespaceName sourced from x-ms-kiota-info are now sanitized before use: GenerationConfiguration.SanitizeClientClassName strips any character outside [A-Za-z0-9] and any invalid leading character (falling back to ApiClient), and SanitizeClientNamespaceName restricts to [A-Za-z0-9.-], collapses consecutive dots, strips invalid leading characters (falling back to ApiSdk). This removes path separators, drive/colon, .., quotes, and braces, so the values can no longer influence the output path or inject into the declaration.
Remediation
Upgrade to Kiota 1.32.5 or later and regenerate affected clients.
Other sources
Kiota is an OpenAPI based HTTP Client code generator. Prior to 1.29.1 and 1.32.5, Kiota emitted x-ms-kiota-info clientClassName and clientNamespaceName values without identifier or path sanitization as both generated client class or namespace names and generated output path components when kiota generate ran without -c/--class-name, allowing an attacker-controlled or compromised OpenAPI description to write generated source outside the -o output directory and inject arbitrary text into generated class or namespace declarations. This issue is fixed in version 1.29.1 and 1.32.5 by GenerationConfiguration.SanitizeClientClassName and SanitizeClientNamespaceName.
— NVD
Kiota is an OpenAPI based HTTP Client code generator. Prior to 1.32.5, Kiota emitted x-ms-kiota-info clientClassName and clientNamespaceName values without identifier or path sanitization as both generated client class or namespace names and generated output path components when kiota generate ran without -c/--class-name, allowing an attacker-controlled or compromised OpenAPI description to write generated source outside the -o output directory and inject arbitrary text into generated class or namespace declarations. This issue is fixed in version 1.32.5 by GenerationConfiguration.SanitizeClientClassName and SanitizeClientNamespaceName.
— NVD
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Upgrade
Upgrade
nuget/Microsoft.OpenApi.Kiota.Builderto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 1.32.5 - Upgrade
Upgrade
nuget/Microsoft.OpenApi.Kiotato a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 1.32.5 - Upgrade
Upgrade
microsoft/kiotato a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 1.32.5 - Upgrade
Upgrade to a fixed release to a version that resolves this vulnerability.
Fixed in 1.29.1 - Operational
Regenerate affected Kiota clients after upgrading to 1.32.5 (or later). This should be done especially when running `kiota generate` without `-c/--class-name` so the previously generated outputs that may have been written outside `-o` and/or had injected class/namespace text are replaced.
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2026-59866?
CVE-2026-59866 has a severity rating of critical with a CVSS score of 9.3.
What are the risks associated with CVE-2026-59866?
The risks include arbitrary file write and code injection due to unsanitized input in x-ms-kiota-info clientClassName and clientNamespaceName.
How do I fix CVE-2026-59866?
To fix CVE-2026-59866, upgrade to Kiota version 1.32.5 or later where the issue has been resolved.
Which versions of Kiota are affected by CVE-2026-59866?
CVE-2026-59866 affects all versions of Kiota prior to 1.32.5.
Is user input validation relevant to CVE-2026-59866?
Yes, user input validation is crucial as the vulnerability arises from inadequate identifier and path sanitization.