CVE-2025-45582: GNU Tar through 1.35 allows file overwrite via directory traversal in crafted TAR archives, with a
Source GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 4.1 Medium.
Data as of 29 Oct 2026, 23:39 UTC
Thin evidence
One scorer or none| CNA (mitre) | CVSS 3.1 | 4.1 |
|---|
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:LExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 11 Jul 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 29 Oct 2026.
What to do
AI-suggested
Until a fix is available, avoid automatically extracting multiple TAR archives from untrusted sources, especially in automated server or installation processes. Validate and sanitize TAR archive contents before extraction to prevent directory traversal via symlinks.
Description
GNU Tar versions through 1.35 are vulnerable to a directory traversal attack that allows file overwrite via a two-step extraction process involving crafted TAR archives. An attacker can first extract an archive containing a symlink pointing to a critical directory, then extract a second archive with a relative path that uses this symlink to overwrite critical files. This bypasses the usual protection against '..' in member names. This vulnerability can impact server applications that automatically extract multiple user-supplied TAR archives and software installation processes that run 'tar xf' multiple times on untrusted tarballs.
References
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-45582 (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/i900008/vulndb/blob/main/Gnu_tar_vuln.md (opens in a new tab)
- lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-tar/2025-08/msg00012.html (opens in a new tab)
- gnu.org/software/tar (opens in a new tab)
- gnu.org/software/tar/manual/html_node/Integrity.html (opens in a new tab)
- gnu.org/software/tar/manual/html_node/Security-rules-of-thumb.html (opens in a new tab)
- openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2025/11/01/6 (opens in a new tab)