diff --git a/litellm/proxy/common_utils/path_utils.py b/litellm/proxy/common_utils/path_utils.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c13f0f90d90
--- /dev/null
+++ b/litellm/proxy/common_utils/path_utils.py
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+"""
+Safe filesystem path construction for user-controlled inputs.
+
+Use safe_join() instead of os.path.join() whenever a path component
+comes from user input (request parameters, uploaded filenames, etc.)
+to prevent directory traversal attacks.
+"""
+
+import os
+from pathlib import Path
+
+
+def safe_join(base_dir: str, *parts: str) -> str:
+    """
+    Join path components and verify the result stays within base_dir.
+
+    Resolves symlinks and '..' sequences, then checks the final path
+    is a descendant of base_dir. Raises ValueError if traversal is
+    detected.
+
+    Args:
+        base_dir: The trusted base directory.
+        *parts: User-controlled path components to append.
+
+    Returns:
+        The resolved absolute path as a string.
+
+    Raises:
+        ValueError: If the resolved path escapes base_dir.
+    """
+    base = os.path.realpath(base_dir)
+    resolved = os.path.realpath(os.path.join(base, *parts))
+    if not (resolved.startswith(base + os.sep) or resolved == base):
+        raise ValueError(f"Path escapes base directory")
+    return resolved
+
+
+def safe_filename(filename: str) -> str:
+    """
+    Extract a safe filename from a user-supplied path.
+
+    Strips all directory components, returning only the final name.
+    Use this for uploaded file names before writing to disk.
+
+    Args:
+        filename: User-supplied filename (may contain path separators).
+
+    Returns:
+        The basename only, with no directory components.
+
+    Raises:
+        ValueError: If the resulting filename is empty.
+    """
+    name = Path(filename).name
+    if not name:
+        raise ValueError("Empty filename")
+    return name
diff --git a/litellm/proxy/guardrails/guardrail_endpoints.py b/litellm/proxy/guardrails/guardrail_endpoints.py
index f5ddd4f6742..8d8e89ede0b 100644
--- a/litellm/proxy/guardrails/guardrail_endpoints.py
+++ b/litellm/proxy/guardrails/guardrail_endpoints.py
@@ -1358,9 +1358,14 @@ async def get_category_yaml(category_name: str):
         "categories",
     )
 
+    from litellm.proxy.common_utils.path_utils import safe_join
+
     # Try to find the file with either .yaml or .json extension
-    yaml_path = os.path.join(categories_dir, f"{category_name}.yaml")
-    json_path = os.path.join(categories_dir, f"{category_name}.json")
+    try:
+        yaml_path = safe_join(categories_dir, f"{category_name}.yaml")
+        json_path = safe_join(categories_dir, f"{category_name}.json")
+    except ValueError:
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail="Invalid category name")
 
     category_file_path = None
     file_type = None
diff --git a/litellm/proxy/prompts/prompt_endpoints.py b/litellm/proxy/prompts/prompt_endpoints.py
index 483107a3759..5a94c2905ad 100644
--- a/litellm/proxy/prompts/prompt_endpoints.py
+++ b/litellm/proxy/prompts/prompt_endpoints.py
@@ -1356,8 +1356,10 @@ async def convert_prompt_file_to_json(
         # Read file content
         file_content = await file.read()
 
-        # Create temporary file
-        temp_file_path = Path(tempfile.mkdtemp()) / file.filename
+        from litellm.proxy.common_utils.path_utils import safe_filename
+
+        # Create temporary file — use safe_filename to prevent path traversal
+        temp_file_path = Path(tempfile.mkdtemp()) / safe_filename(file.filename)
         temp_file_path.write_bytes(file_content)
 
         # Create a PromptManager instance just for conversion