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chore(deps): update dependency tar to v7.5.8 [security]#2657

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renovate/npm-tar-vulnerability
Feb 26, 2026
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chore(deps): update dependency tar to v7.5.8 [security]#2657
ardatan merged 2 commits into
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renovate/npm-tar-vulnerability

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@renovate renovate Bot commented Feb 19, 2026

This PR contains the following updates:

Package Change Age Confidence
tar 7.5.77.5.8 age confidence

GitHub Vulnerability Alerts

CVE-2026-26960

Summary

tar.extract() in Node tar allows an attacker-controlled archive to create a hardlink inside the extraction directory that points to a file outside the extraction root, using default options.

This enables arbitrary file read and write as the extracting user (no root, no chmod, no preservePaths).

Severity is high because the primitive bypasses path protections and turns archive extraction into a direct filesystem access primitive.

Details

The bypass chain uses two symlinks plus one hardlink:

  1. a/b/c/up -> ../..
  2. a/b/escape -> c/up/../..
  3. exfil (hardlink) -> a/b/escape/<target-relative-to-parent-of-extract>

Why this works:

  • Linkpath checks are string-based and do not resolve symlinks on disk for hardlink target safety.

    • See STRIPABSOLUTEPATH logic in:
      • ../tar-audit-setuid - CVE/node_modules/tar/dist/commonjs/unpack.js:255
      • ../tar-audit-setuid - CVE/node_modules/tar/dist/commonjs/unpack.js:268
      • ../tar-audit-setuid - CVE/node_modules/tar/dist/commonjs/unpack.js:281
  • Hardlink extraction resolves target as path.resolve(cwd, entry.linkpath) and then calls fs.link(target, destination).

    • ../tar-audit-setuid - CVE/node_modules/tar/dist/commonjs/unpack.js:566
    • ../tar-audit-setuid - CVE/node_modules/tar/dist/commonjs/unpack.js:567
    • ../tar-audit-setuid - CVE/node_modules/tar/dist/commonjs/unpack.js:703
  • Parent directory safety checks (mkdir + symlink detection) are applied to the destination path of the extracted entry, not to the resolved hardlink target path.

    • ../tar-audit-setuid - CVE/node_modules/tar/dist/commonjs/unpack.js:617
    • ../tar-audit-setuid - CVE/node_modules/tar/dist/commonjs/unpack.js:619
    • ../tar-audit-setuid - CVE/node_modules/tar/dist/commonjs/mkdir.js:27
    • ../tar-audit-setuid - CVE/node_modules/tar/dist/commonjs/mkdir.js:101

As a result, exfil is created inside extraction root but linked to an external file. The PoC confirms shared inode and successful read+write via exfil.

PoC

hardlink.js
Environment used for validation:

  • Node: v25.4.0
  • tar: 7.5.7
  • OS: macOS Darwin 25.2.0
  • Extract options: defaults (tar.extract({ file, cwd }))

Steps:

  1. Prepare/locate a tar module. If require('tar') is not available locally, set TAR_MODULE to an absolute path to a tar package directory.

  2. Run:

TAR_MODULE="$(cd '../tar-audit-setuid - CVE/node_modules/tar' && pwd)" node hardlink.js
  1. Expected vulnerable output (key lines):
same_inode=true
read_ok=true
write_ok=true
result=VULNERABLE

Interpretation:

  • same_inode=true: extracted exfil and external secret are the same file object.
  • read_ok=true: reading exfil leaks external content.
  • write_ok=true: writing exfil modifies external file.

Impact

Vulnerability type:

  • Arbitrary file read/write via archive extraction path confusion and link resolution.

Who is impacted:

  • Any application/service that extracts attacker-controlled tar archives with Node tar defaults.
  • Impact scope is the privileges of the extracting process user.

Potential outcomes:

  • Read sensitive files reachable by the process user.
  • Overwrite writable files outside extraction root.
  • Escalate impact depending on deployment context (keys, configs, scripts, app data).

Release Notes

isaacs/node-tar (tar)

v7.5.8

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@renovate renovate Bot added the dependencies Pull requests that update a dependency file label Feb 19, 2026
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github-actions Bot commented Feb 19, 2026

🚀 Snapshot Release (alpha)

The latest changes of this PR are available as alpha on npm (based on the declared changesets):

Package Version Info
graphql-modules 3.1.2-alpha-20260226215025-51329071d1b2733a53898cced04cb8dc3b5bb6b1 npm ↗︎ unpkg ↗︎

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github-actions Bot commented Feb 19, 2026

💻 Website Preview

The latest changes are available as preview in: https://pr-2657.graphql-modules.pages.dev

@ardatan ardatan merged commit be3bd59 into master Feb 26, 2026
15 of 16 checks passed
@ardatan ardatan deleted the renovate/npm-tar-vulnerability branch February 26, 2026 21:48
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