A flaw was found in libarchive.
A flaw was found in libarchive. This vulnerability allows a remote attacker to trigger a heap overflow by providing a specially crafted tar archive. The issue occurs during the parsing of a PAX extended header containing a malformed SUN.holesdata sparse-file attribute. Successful exploitation could lead to a denial of service, making the system unavailable, or potentially allow for arbitrary code execution, giving the attacker control over the affected system.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
The vulnerability in libarchive arises from improper handling of the SUN.holesdata sparse-file attribute within PAX extended headers of tar archives. A remote attacker can craft a malicious tar archive that triggers a heap overflow during parsing, which may result in denial of service or arbitrary code execution. The issue affects numerous Ubuntu package versions of libarchive across several Ubuntu LTS releases.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation can cause a denial of service, making the system unavailable, or potentially allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code, gaining control over the affected system. The vulnerability requires local privileges (AV:L) and low attack complexity (AC:L), with low privileges required (PR:L) and user interaction needed (UI:R). The confidentiality impact is low, integrity impact is none, and availability impact is low.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until an official fix is available, avoid processing untrusted tar archives containing PAX extended headers with SUN.holesdata sparse-file attributes. Monitor Ubuntu security advisories for updates and apply patches promptly once released.
A flaw was found in libarchive.
Description
A flaw was found in libarchive. This vulnerability allows a remote attacker to trigger a heap overflow by providing a specially crafted tar archive. The issue occurs during the parsing of a PAX extended header containing a malformed SUN.holesdata sparse-file attribute. Successful exploitation could lead to a denial of service, making the system unavailable, or potentially allow for arbitrary code execution, giving the attacker control over the affected system.
CVSS v3.1
Score 3.9low
Affected software
pkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]+esm5?arch=source&distro=esm-infra-legacy/trustypkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]+esm3?arch=source&distro=esm-infra-legacy/xenialpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]+esm3?arch=source&distro=esm-infra/bionicpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]+esm2?arch=source&distro=esm-infra/focalpkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=jammypkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=noblepkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=resoluteRun on your own infrastructure? Check whether these packages are installed with threat-finder — our free open-source scanner.
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
The vulnerability in libarchive arises from improper handling of the SUN.holesdata sparse-file attribute within PAX extended headers of tar archives. A remote attacker can craft a malicious tar archive that triggers a heap overflow during parsing, which may result in denial of service or arbitrary code execution. The issue affects numerous Ubuntu package versions of libarchive across several Ubuntu LTS releases.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation can cause a denial of service, making the system unavailable, or potentially allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code, gaining control over the affected system. The vulnerability requires local privileges (AV:L) and low attack complexity (AC:L), with low privileges required (PR:L) and user interaction needed (UI:R). The confidentiality impact is low, integrity impact is none, and availability impact is low.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until an official fix is available, avoid processing untrusted tar archives containing PAX extended headers with SUN.holesdata sparse-file attributes. Monitor Ubuntu security advisories for updates and apply patches promptly once released.
Technical Details
- Gcve Source
- db.gcve.eu
- Osv Id
- UBUNTU-CVE-2026-15028
- Osv Schema Version
- 1.7.0
- Aliases
- []
- Ecosystems
- ["Ubuntu:Pro:14.04:LTS","Ubuntu:Pro:16.04:LTS","Ubuntu:Pro:18.04:LTS","Ubuntu:Pro:20.04:LTS","Ubuntu:22.04:LTS","Ubuntu:24.04:LTS","Ubuntu:26.04:LTS"]
- Database Specific Severity
- null
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
Threat ID: 6a58b4f568715ace43db2009
Added to database: 07/16/2026, 10:39:49 UTC
Last enriched: 07/16/2026, 14:00:44 UTC
Last updated: 07/31/2026, 19:24:46 UTC
Views: 10
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