CVE-2025-45582: GNU Tar through 1.35 allows file overwrite via directory traversal in crafted TAR archives, with a
Affects tarSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 4.1 Medium · fixed in 1.34+dfsg-1ubuntu0.1.22.04.4 : update tar when convenient.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 41% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
- Patch
- Available – fixed in 1.34+dfsg-1ubuntu0.1.22.04.4, 1.35+dfsg-3ubuntu0.2, 1.35+dfsg-4ubuntu0.2
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
Weaponised: 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 26 Oct 2026.
What to do
Upgrade the Ubuntu tar to 1.34+dfsg-1ubuntu0.1.22.04.4 (package) or 1.35+dfsg-3ubuntu0.2 (package) or 1.35+dfsg-4ubuntu0.2 (package).
Patches and advisories
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
Ubuntu 26.04 LTStarpkg:deb/ubuntu/tar?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu 25.10tarpkg:deb/ubuntu/tar?arch=source&distro=questingOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 24.04 LTStarpkg:deb/ubuntu/tar?arch=source&distro=nobleOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu 22.04 LTStarpkg:deb/ubuntu/tar?arch=source&distro=jammyOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTStarpkg:deb/ubuntu/tar?arch=source&distro=esm-infra/focalOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTStarpkg:deb/ubuntu/tar?arch=source&distro=esm-infra/bionicOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
Description
GNU Tar through 1.35 allows file overwrite via directory traversal in crafted TAR archives, with a certain two-step process. First, the victim must extract an archive that contains a ../ symlink to a critical directory. Second, the victim must extract an archive that contains a critical file, specified via a relative pathname that begins with the symlink name and ends with that critical file's name. Here, the extraction follows the symlink and overwrites the critical file. This bypasses the protection mechanism of "Member name contains '..'" that would occur for a single TAR archive that attempted to specify the critical file via a ../ approach. For example, the first archive can contain "x -> ../../../../../home/victim/.ssh" and the second archive can contain x/authorized_keys. This can affect server applications that automatically extract any number of user-supplied TAR archives, and were relying on the blocking of traversal. This can also affect software installation processes in which "tar xf" is run more than once (e.g., when installing a package can automatically install two dependencies that are set up as untrusted tarballs instead of official packages). NOTE: the official GNU Tar manual has an otherwise-empty directory for each "tar xf" in its Security Rules of Thumb; however, third-party advice leads users to run "tar xf" more than once into the same directory.