Skip to main content

Tar CVE-2021-38511

HIGH
Improper Link Resolution Before File Access (CWE-59)
2021-08-10 cve@mitre.org
7.5
CVSS 3.1 · NVD
View

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V5 - File Handling Symlink resolution safety
Impact

CVSS score of 7.5 (HIGH). Attack characteristics: network attack vector, low complexity, no privileges required, no user interaction not required. Public proof-of-concept exploit code is available.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

This vulnerability can be exploited remotely over the network. Successful exploitation could compromise the high-severity affected system.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 1.4% exploitation probability (EPSS)

Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.

Alert me

AnalysisAI

An issue was discovered in the tar crate before 0.4.36 for Rust. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.

RemediationAI

No vendor patch is available at time of analysis. Monitor vendor advisories for updates. Apply vendor patches when available. Implement network segmentation and monitoring as interim mitigations.

Affected Packages

cargo tar fix: 0.4.36

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in cargo

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-59. An issue was discovered in the tar crate before 0.4.36 for Rust. When symlinks are present in a TAR archive, extraction can create arbitrary directories via .. traversal. Affected products include: Tar Project Tar. Version information: before 0.4.36.

Know when Tar gets its next vulnerability

  • Watch products and get an email when something new is published
  • Check this CVE against your own stack and servers
  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

No credit card · 7-day full trial

Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 7.5 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
None

DescriptionNVD

An issue was discovered in the tar crate before 0.4.36 for Rust. When symlinks are present in a TAR archive, extraction can create arbitrary directories via .. traversal.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
1.4%
Top 31% exploitable
Exploit
POC
Public exploit code exists
Data Quality
2 sources
Confidence: Low

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC Yes
EPSS 1.4%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation· derived
Poc
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable· derived
Yes
Human Impact· derived
Medium

Priority Score

59
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: +1
CVSS: +38
PoC: +20
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.

Affected Products (CPE)NVD

cpe:2.3:a:tar_project:tar:*:*:*:*:*:rust:*:*

More in Tar

View all
CVE-2016-6321 HIGH POC
7.5 Dec 09

Directory traversal vulnerability in the safer_name_suffix function in GNU tar 1.14 through 1.29 might allow remote atta

CVE-2026-24842 HIGH POC
8.2 Jan 28

node-tar before version 7.5.7 contains a path traversal vulnerability where inconsistent path resolution between validat

CVE-2026-29786 HIGH POC
8.2 Mar 07

Arbitrary file overwrite in node-tar before 7.5.10 lets a malicious tar archive write files outside the intended extract

CVE-2026-23745 HIGH POC
8.2 Jan 16

Arbitrary file overwrite and symlink poisoning in the node-tar library (versions <= 7.5.2) lets a malicious tar archive

CVE-2021-32804 HIGH
8.1 Aug 03

The npm package "tar" (aka node-tar) before versions 6.1.1, 5.0.6, 4.4.14, and 3.3.2 has a arbitrary File Creation/Overw

CVE-2026-26960 HIGH POC
7.1 Feb 20

Path traversal in node-tar versions 7.5.7 and earlier allows local attackers to read and write arbitrary files outside t

CVE-2024-28863 MEDIUM POC
6.5 Mar 21

node-tar is a Tar for Node.js. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authenti

CVE-2026-23950 MEDIUM POC
5.9 Jan 20

Symlink poisoning via race condition in node-tar up to version 7.5.3 allows attackers to exploit Unicode normalization o

CVE-2021-32803 HIGH
8.1 Aug 03

The npm package "tar" (aka node-tar) before versions 6.1.2, 5.0.7, 4.4.15, and 3.2.3 has an arbitrary File Creation/Over

CVE-2021-37701 HIGH
8.6 Aug 31

The npm package "tar" (aka node-tar) before versions 4.4.16, 5.0.8, and 6.1.7 has an arbitrary file creation/overwrite a

CVE-2018-20482 MEDIUM POC
4.7 Dec 26

GNU Tar through 1.30, when --sparse is used, mishandles file shrinkage during read access, which allows local users to c

CVE-2021-37713 HIGH
8.6 Aug 31

The npm package "tar" (aka node-tar) before versions 4.4.18, 5.0.10, and 6.1.9 has an arbitrary file creation/overwrite

This site uses cookies essential for authentication and security. No tracking or analytics cookies are used. Privacy Policy