CVE-2026-53486
CRITICALdecompress: Archive extraction can create files and links outside the target directory
Blast Radius
@xhmikosr/decompress📦@xhmikosr/decompress📦decompressReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects npm packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
The decompress package for Node.js extracts archives. Prior to 10.2.1 and 11.1.3, archive extraction can create files and links outside the target directory. When extracting an archive to a directory, a crafted archive can read or write files outside that directory because hardlink and symlink entries are created without checking where targets point, path containment used a string prefix comparison, and file modes failed to remove setuid, setgid, or sticky bits. This issue is fixed in @xhmikosr/decompress versions 10.2.1 and 11.1.3.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | @xhmikosr/decompress | all versions | 10.2.1 |
| 📦npm | @xhmikosr/decompress | ≥ 11.0.0&&< 11.1.3 | 11.1.3 |
| 📦npm | decompress | all versions | No fix |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for @xhmikosr/decompress. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update @xhmikosr/decompress to 10.2.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-53486 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2026-53486 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to CVE-2026-53486. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2026-53486 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2026-53486 across npm dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.