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CVE-2026-73642
Unauthenticated path traversal in Dayforce Payroll allows arbitrary local file download.
Major vulnerability. Unauthenticated critical flaw in widely used Ceridian Dayforce payroll product exposing payroll and config data; affects enterprise HR/payroll systems and risks broad disruption.
- CVSS
- 9.2Criticalscored by the publisher (CNA)
- Exploited in the wild
- Not knownnot in CISA KEV as of our last sync
- EPSS
- 0.42%chance of exploitation in the next 30 daystop 63% of scored CVEsFIRST score of 12 Nov 2026
- Fix
- Not stated by the vendorno fixed release in the CVE record
- Published
- 28 Sept 2026analysed here 28 Sept 2026
Summary
Impact
Unauthenticated attackers can download arbitrary local files (payroll records, configs, credentials), enabling data exfiltration and facilitating further compromise.
Triage
The summary, impact and action text on this page are written by our AI analysis pipeline, or taken from the NVD description when a CVE was imported from NVD. They are not the vendor's wording: check them against the sources. A longer AI executive summary and technical analysis are generated for signed-in accounts on the Max plan.
Affected products
| Product | Affected versions | Vendor says fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| Dayforce Payroll | R2026.2.0Vendor says fixed in: not stated |
As published in the CVE Program record. A version outside these ranges is not a statement that it is unaffected — vendors sometimes understate a range, and distribution-backported builds carry upstream numbers that do not reflect what was patched into them.
Products named in our analysis
- Ceridian Dayforce Payroll R2026.2.0
- Ceridian Dayforce (other versions may be affected)
Fix and mitigation
Action required
Immediate action required
WAF and other mitigations
Can a WAF block it? Yes. The vulnerability involves path traversal via an HTTP request that allows downloading arbitrary local files by using ../ sequences in the request path or parameters, which a WAF can detect and block. A WAF rule can match ../ sequences in the filename parameter of a download endpoint. No tracked WAF vendor has published a rule for this CVE yet, so you would write it yourself.
What a custom rule would match: ../ sequences in the filename parameter of a download endpoint
Also consider: patch · custom WAF rule · canonical path validation
Based on an AI reading of the CVE description, and no vendor rule found yet. We check Cloudflare, AWS, Google Cloud Armor and Azure; for Akamai, Imperva, Fastly, F5, ask your vendor.
Remediation steps (AI-written)
Step-by-step remediation is generated for accounts on the Max plan, for CVEs that match a technology in their stack. Add this technology to your stack to see the fix checklist.
Exploitation evidence
- CISA KEV catalog
- Not listed as of our last sync.
- Public exploit code
- None on record in Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei templates or PoC-in-GitHub.
- CISA SSVC
- exploitation none, automatable yes, technical impact partialAssessed by CISA 28 Sept 2026 (SSVC 2.0.3). Exploitation is none, poc (public proof of concept) or active.
Timeline
- 28 Sept 2026Published
- 28 Sept 2026Analysed by vulneraibility.comsame day later
- 28 Sept 2026CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation nonesame day later
- 13 Oct 2026CVE record last updated15 days later
Common questions
Is CVE-2026-73642 being exploited?
Not confirmed. CVE-2026-73642 does not appear in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which records only exploitation that has been observed and reported publicly. That is evidence of absence of a report, not evidence the flaw is unattacked. EPSS currently estimates a 0.42% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How severe is CVE-2026-73642?
CVE-2026-73642 is rated Critical with a CVSS score of 9.2. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.
Is there a patch for CVE-2026-73642?
Not known from our data. No patch reference has been recorded for CVE-2026-73642, which is not the same as no patch existing — a fix may have shipped without a tagged reference, or after this record was written. The vendor advisory is the only authority on whether a fix exists, and mitigations may be available regardless.
What does CVE-2026-73642 affect?
CVE-2026-73642 affects Ceridian Dayforce Payroll R2026.2.0, Ceridian Dayforce (other versions may be affected). Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
What should I do about CVE-2026-73642?
Block access to download endpoint, apply WAF rules, restrict public access, and deploy vendor patch when available; rotate exposed creds.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
References
2 references in the CVE record, grouped by the tags the record gives them.
Advisories (1)
- cert.pl /en/posts/2026/09/CVE-2026-73640
Other links (1)
Where the data on this page comes from
- CVE List (CVE.org): description, affected versions, references; CVE Terms of Use
- NVD: CVSS and CPE data
- CISA Vulnrichment (ADP): SSVC decision points
- FIRST EPSS: exploit probability and percentile
Summary, impact and triage tags: written by our AI analysis pipeline from the sources above. Check them against the sources.
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