CVE-2026-85731 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.8) Path Traversal vulnerability. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2026-85731 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
oras-go is a Go library for managing OCI artifacts. Prior to 2.6.2, content/file.Store extraction of OCI layers marked with io.deis.oras.content.unpack=true can write outside the store…
Exploitation Status
Proof-of-concept exploit code exists
- CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2026-85731.
Description
oras-go is a Go library for managing OCI artifacts. Prior to 2.6.2, content/file.Store extraction of OCI layers marked with io.deis.oras.content.unpack=true can write outside the store working directory. The pushDir path through extractTarDirectory and ensureLinkPath validates symlink targets lexically, resolveRelToBase skips its parent-symlink walk for root-level entries, and writeFile follows a terminal symlink when opening a regular file. A malicious archive can therefore create a symlink chain whose lexical target remains inside the extraction root but whose resolved target is an attacker-selected absolute path, then overwrite that target with a same-named regular-file entry even when AllowPathTraversalOnWrite is false. Pulling an attacker-controlled artifact can create or overwrite any file writable by the process and may lead to code execution. This issue is fixed in version 2.6.2.
Detection & mitigation playbook
VulnerabilityDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for the affected component. 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.
Remediation status
No patched version of the affected component has shipped for CVE-2026-85731 yet. Where your build allows, override or pin the dependency away from the vulnerable range, and apply any maintainer-recommended mitigation.
Mitigate without a patch
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-2026-85731 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-2026-85731. 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-2026-85731 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2026-85731 across dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.