explaingit

alienstoearth/litematica-rce

Analysis updated 2026-05-18

6JavaAudience · researcherComplexity · 4/5Setup · moderate

TLDR

A proof of concept showing a now patched Minecraft mod bug where a malicious server could plant a file in a player's mods folder to run code on their machine.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Demonstrates path traversal bug
      Crafts fake schematic packets
      Plants a payload mod file
    Tech stack
      Java
      Minecraft Fabric
    Use cases
      Security research
      Vulnerability education
    Audience
      Security researchers
      Mod developers

Code map

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filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Study a real world example of a path traversal vulnerability and its patch

USE CASE 2

Understand how Litematica's schematic transfer protocol works internally

USE CASE 3

Learn how a game mod ecosystem can be abused to achieve remote code execution

What is it built with?

JavaMinecraft Fabric

How does it compare?

alienstoearth/litematica-rceblackfan/s3-request-signerkamui2040/k2040-geojoystick
Stars666
LanguageJavaJavaJava
Setup difficultymoderatemoderateeasy
Complexity4/53/52/5
Audienceresearcherdeveloperdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

Requires building a Fabric mod with Gradle and running a Minecraft 1.21.11 server plus a vulnerable Litematica client to reproduce.

In plain English

This repository is a proof of concept demonstrating a now patched security bug in Litematica, a popular Minecraft mod for building and sharing structure blueprints called schematics. The author states plainly that it is for education and research only, and should not be used against any server or client without permission. The bug lived in the feature that lets a Minecraft server send schematic files to connected clients over a custom network channel. When a server sends a file, Litematica writes it to a specific folder on the player's computer based on a filename the server supplies. The problem was that Litematica did not check that filename for anything unusual. By sending a filename containing steps like "go up two folders", a malicious server could make the file land outside the intended folder and inside the player's Minecraft mods folder instead, as an ordinary Java mod file rather than a real schematic. The next time that player restarted their game, Minecraft would load that file as if it were a legitimate mod, running whatever code was inside it. The proof of concept includes a small server side Minecraft mod that crafts the exact three network messages Litematica expects during a schematic transfer, but with a manipulated filename, along with a script to swap in any Java file as the payload and a mod that loads it into the finished build. The author found out about the bug through a Discord server and then compared Litematica's patched and unpatched source code to understand exactly how the transfer protocol worked and where the missing check was. Litematica has since released version 0.26.11, which adds the missing filename check, so any client running that version or newer is not affected by this specific issue.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Explain how the missing filename check in Litematica's schematic transfer allowed files to escape the intended folder.
Prompt 2
Walk me through the three network packets this proof of concept sends to trigger the exploit.
Prompt 3
Help me understand why the payload JAR gets loaded as a mod after the file lands in the mods folder.
Prompt 4
Summarize what changed in Litematica 0.26.11 that fixes this vulnerability.

Frequently asked questions

What is litematica-rce?

A proof of concept showing a now patched Minecraft mod bug where a malicious server could plant a file in a player's mods folder to run code on their machine.

What language is litematica-rce written in?

Mainly Java. The stack also includes Java, Minecraft Fabric.

How hard is litematica-rce to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated moderate, with roughly 30min to a first successful run.

Who is litematica-rce for?

Mainly researcher.

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