GHSA-j4xf-2g29-59ph is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.5) CWE-61 vulnerability in tar. A fix is available for tar — see the affected versions and patch details below.
tar-rs `unpack_in` can chmod arbitrary directories by following symlinks
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for GHSA-j4xf-2g29-59ph.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
GHSA-j4xf-2g29-59ph plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 379,145 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
tarReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects crates.io packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Summary
When unpacking a tar archive, the tar crate's unpack_dir function uses fs::metadata() to check whether a path that already exists is a directory. Because fs::metadata() follows symbolic links, a crafted tarball containing a symlink entry followed by a directory entry with the same name causes the crate to treat the symlink target as a valid existing directory — and subsequently apply chmod to it. This allows an attacker to modify the permissions of arbitrary directories outside the extraction root.
Reproducer
A malicious tarball contains two entries: (1) a symlink foo pointing to an arbitrary external directory, and (2) a directory entry foo/. (or just foo). When unpacked, create_dir("foo") fails with EEXIST because the symlink is already on disk. The fs::metadata() check then follows the symlink, sees a directory at the target, and allows processing to continue. The directory entry's mode bits are then applied via chmod, which also follows the symlink — modifying the permissions of the external target directory.
Fix
The fix is very simple, we now use fs::symlink_metadata() in unpack_dir, so symlinks are detected and rejected rather than followed.
Credit
This issue was reported by @xokdvium - thank you!
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🦀crates.io | tar | all versions | 0.4.45cargo update -p tar --precise 0.4.45 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for tar, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update tar to 0.4.45 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-j4xf-2g29-59ph 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 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like GHSA-j4xf-2g29-59ph can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-j4xf-2g29-59ph. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-j4xf-2g29-59ph in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-j4xf-2g29-59ph across crates.io dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.