diff --git a/src/tools.js b/src/tools.js
index 941c2103..ab21d22c 100644
--- a/src/tools.js
+++ b/src/tools.js
@@ -44,6 +44,39 @@ export function getCustom(key, def = null, opts = {}) {
 	return key in process.env ? process.env[key] : key in opts && typeof opts[key] === 'string' ? opts[key] : def
 }
 
+/**
+ * Validates that an executable path does not use directory traversal or relative segments.
+ * @param {string} binPath - The executable path to validate.
+ * @returns {string} The validated path.
+ * @throws {Error} If the path contains '..' segments or is a relative path with separators.
+ */
+function validateExecutablePath(binPath) {
+	if (typeof binPath !== 'string' || binPath.length === 0) {
+		throw new Error('Executable path rejected: expected a non-empty string')
+	}
+
+	if (binPath.startsWith('./') || binPath.startsWith('.\\')) {
+		throw new Error(
+			`Executable path rejected: relative paths starting with './' are not allowed: ${binPath}`
+		)
+	}
+
+	const segments = binPath.split(/[/\\]/)
+	if (segments.includes('..')) {
+		throw new Error(
+			`Executable path rejected: path contains directory traversal segment (..): ${binPath}`
+		)
+	}
+
+	if ((binPath.includes('/') || binPath.includes('\\')) && !path.isAbsolute(binPath)) {
+		throw new Error(
+			`Executable path rejected: relative paths are not allowed, use an absolute path or a bare command name: ${binPath}`
+		)
+	}
+
+	return binPath
+}
+
 /**
  * Utility function for looking up custom variable for a binary path.
  * Will look in the environment variables (1) or in opts (2) for a key with TRUSTIFY_DA_x_PATH, x is an
@@ -55,7 +88,8 @@ export function getCustom(key, def = null, opts = {}) {
  * 		original name supplied
  */
 export function getCustomPath(name, opts = {}) {
-	return getCustom(`TRUSTIFY_DA_${name.toUpperCase()}_PATH`, name, opts)
+	const resolvedPath = getCustom(`TRUSTIFY_DA_${name.toUpperCase()}_PATH`, name, opts)
+	return validateExecutablePath(resolvedPath)
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/test/tools.test.js b/test/tools.test.js
index 89d2e8fb..437a02ca 100644
--- a/test/tools.test.js
+++ b/test/tools.test.js
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import { expect } from 'chai'
 import esmock from 'esmock'
 import { afterEach } from 'mocha'
 
-import { getCustom, getCustomPath} from "../src/tools.js"
+import { getCustom, getCustomPath } from "../src/tools.js"
 
 
 /**
@@ -65,6 +65,111 @@ suite('testing the various tools and utility functions', () => {
 
 	})
 
+	suite('test getCustomPath executable path validation', () => {
+		afterEach(() => delete process.env['TRUSTIFY_DA_DUMMY_PATH'])
+
+		/** Verifies that bare command names pass validation (resolved via OS PATH lookup). */
+		test('allows bare command names without path separators', () => {
+			const commands = ['mvn', 'npm', 'go', 'cargo', 'pip3']
+			const saved = {}
+			for (const cmd of commands) {
+				const envKey = `TRUSTIFY_DA_${cmd.toUpperCase()}_PATH`
+				if (envKey in process.env) {
+					saved[envKey] = process.env[envKey]
+					delete process.env[envKey]
+				}
+			}
+			try {
+				for (const cmd of commands) {
+					expect(getCustomPath(cmd)).to.equal(cmd)
+				}
+			} finally {
+				for (const [key, val] of Object.entries(saved)) {
+					process.env[key] = val
+				}
+			}
+		})
+
+		/** Verifies that valid absolute paths are accepted. */
+		test('allows valid absolute paths', () => {
+			process.env['TRUSTIFY_DA_DUMMY_PATH'] = '/usr/bin/mvn'
+			expect(getCustomPath('dummy')).to.equal('/usr/bin/mvn')
+
+			process.env['TRUSTIFY_DA_DUMMY_PATH'] = '/usr/local/bin/npm'
+			expect(getCustomPath('dummy')).to.equal('/usr/local/bin/npm')
+		})
+
+		/** Reproducer: relative path with traversal segments must be rejected. */
+		test('rejects relative paths containing ".." traversal segments', () => {
+			process.env['TRUSTIFY_DA_DUMMY_PATH'] = '../../etc/malicious'
+			expect(() => getCustomPath('dummy')).to.throw(
+				Error, 'path contains directory traversal segment (..)'
+			)
+		})
+
+		/** Verifies that absolute paths with embedded traversal segments are rejected. */
+		test('rejects absolute paths containing ".." traversal segments', () => {
+			process.env['TRUSTIFY_DA_DUMMY_PATH'] = '/usr/bin/../../../tmp/evil'
+			expect(() => getCustomPath('dummy')).to.throw(
+				Error, 'path contains directory traversal segment (..)'
+			)
+		})
+
+		/** Verifies that paths starting with "./" (workspace-relative) are rejected. */
+		test('rejects paths starting with "./"', () => {
+			process.env['TRUSTIFY_DA_DUMMY_PATH'] = './malicious.sh'
+			expect(() => getCustomPath('dummy')).to.throw(
+				Error, "relative paths starting with './' are not allowed"
+			)
+		})
+
+		/** Verifies that traversal paths supplied via opts are also rejected. */
+		test('rejects traversal paths provided via opts', () => {
+			const opts = { 'TRUSTIFY_DA_DUMMY_PATH': '../../tmp/evil' }
+			expect(() => getCustomPath('dummy', opts)).to.throw(
+				Error, 'path contains directory traversal segment (..)'
+			)
+		})
+
+		/** Verifies that a bare '..' without path separators is rejected. */
+		test('rejects bare ".." without path separators', () => {
+			process.env['TRUSTIFY_DA_DUMMY_PATH'] = '..'
+			expect(() => getCustomPath('dummy')).to.throw(
+				Error, 'path contains directory traversal segment (..)'
+			)
+		})
+
+		/** Verifies that relative paths with separators (e.g. subdir/binary) are rejected. */
+		test('rejects relative paths with separators', () => {
+			process.env['TRUSTIFY_DA_DUMMY_PATH'] = 'subdir/binary'
+			expect(() => getCustomPath('dummy')).to.throw(
+				Error, 'relative paths are not allowed, use an absolute path or a bare command name'
+			)
+		})
+
+		/** Verifies that rejected paths include the offending path in the error message. */
+		test('error message includes the rejected path', () => {
+			process.env['TRUSTIFY_DA_DUMMY_PATH'] = '../../sneaky/script'
+			expect(() => getCustomPath('dummy')).to.throw('../../sneaky/script')
+		})
+	})
+
+	suite('test resolveBinary wrapper path regression', () => {
+		/** Verifies that resolveBinary with a wrapper path bypasses getCustomPath validation. */
+		test('wrapper path from traverseForWrapper is not subject to path validation', async () => {
+			// Given: a mocked traverseForWrapper that returns a workspace-relative wrapper path
+			const tools = await esmock('../src/tools.js', {}, {
+				'node:fs': {
+					accessSync: () => undefined
+				}
+			})
+
+			// When: resolveBinary finds a wrapper, it returns it directly without validation
+			const result = tools.resolveBinary('mvn', 'mvnw', '/workspace/project')
+			expect(result).to.equal('/workspace/project/mvnw')
+		})
+	})
+
 	suite('test the handleSpacesInPath utility function', () => {
 
 		test('Windows Path with spaces', async () => {