CVE-2026-22870 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-409 (Improper Handling of Highly Compressed Data) found in DataDog's GuardDog CLI tool, which is used to identify malicious Python packages from PyPI. The vulnerability exists in versions prior to 2.7.1 due to the safe_extract() function not validating the size of files after decompression when extracting ZIP archives such as wheels or eggs. Attackers can exploit this by crafting malicious Python packages that contain zip bombs—highly compressed archives that decompress into extremely large files or file structures. When GuardDog extracts these archives, the decompressed data can consume gigabytes of disk space from only a few megabytes of compressed input, leading to resource exhaustion and denial of service. The vulnerability does not require any privileges or authentication but does require user interaction to trigger extraction. The CVSS 4.0 base score is 7.1 (high severity), reflecting the network attack vector, low complexity, no privileges required, no user interaction, and high impact on availability. Although no known exploits are reported in the wild yet, the risk is significant due to the potential for disruption in automated package scanning workflows. The issue was addressed in GuardDog version 2.7.1 by adding proper validation of decompressed file sizes to prevent zip bomb attacks.

For European organizations, especially those involved in software development, DevOps, or security operations using Python and DataDog tools, this vulnerability poses a risk of denial of service. Automated pipelines that rely on GuardDog to scan PyPI packages could be disrupted by malicious packages designed to exhaust disk space, potentially halting CI/CD processes or security scans. This can lead to operational downtime, delayed deployments, and increased incident response costs. Organizations with limited disk space or those running GuardDog on critical infrastructure may experience more severe impacts. Additionally, the disruption could be leveraged as a diversion tactic in multi-stage attacks. While confidentiality and integrity are not directly impacted, availability degradation can have cascading effects on business continuity and security posture.

European organizations should immediately upgrade GuardDog to version 2.7.1 or later to ensure the vulnerability is patched. In addition, implement the following measures: 1) Enforce strict resource quotas and disk usage limits on environments running GuardDog to contain potential zip bomb effects. 2) Use sandboxed or isolated environments for package extraction to prevent system-wide resource exhaustion. 3) Monitor disk usage and set alerts for unusual spikes during package scanning activities. 4) Integrate additional scanning tools that analyze package contents for suspicious compression ratios before extraction. 5) Educate developers and security teams about the risks of zip bombs and encourage cautious handling of untrusted packages. 6) Review and harden CI/CD pipeline configurations to gracefully handle failures caused by resource exhaustion. These targeted mitigations complement the patch and reduce the risk of denial of service from malicious compressed archives.