What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-27976?

CVE-2026-27976 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.8 (High). CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. EPSS exploitation probability: 0.0%.

Which versions of Zed are affected by CVE-2026-27976?

Zed code editor users are vulnerable to arbitrary code execution through malicious tar/gzip files downloaded via the extension installer, with active public exploits available.

Is there a public PoC exploit available for CVE-2026-27976?

Yes, a public proof-of-concept exploit is available for CVE-2026-27976. Prioritise patching immediately. EPSS: 0.0%.

How to fix or mitigate CVE-2026-27976?

Within 24 hours: Inventory all Zed installations across the organization and restrict extension installer access via network controls. Within 7 days: Disable the Zed extension installer feature organization-wide or migrate users to alternative code editors with better security controls. Within 30 days: Evaluate vendor patch availability and establish a secure code editor procurement policy.

Zed CVE-2026-27976

HIGH

UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following (CWE-61)

2026-02-26 security-advisories@github.com

RCE Zed

8.8

CVSS 3.1 · GitHub Advisory

Severity by source

GitHub Advisory PRIMARY

8.8 HIGH

AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Primary rating from GitHub Advisory · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorGitHub Advisory

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

None

User Interaction

Required

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

Lifecycle Timeline

Analysis Generated

Mar 12, 2026 - 21:55 vuln.today

PoC Detected

Mar 05, 2026 - 16:08 vuln.today

Public exploit code

CVE Published

Feb 26, 2026 - 00:16 nvd

HIGH 8.8

DescriptionGitHub Advisory

Zed, a code editor, has an extension installer allows tar/gzip downloads. Prior to version 0.224.4, the tar extractor (async_tar::Archive::unpack) creates symlinks from the archive without validation, and the path guard (writeable_path_from_extension) only performs lexical prefix checks without resolving symlinks. An attacker can ship a tar that first creates a symlink inside the extension workdir pointing outside (e.g., escape -> /), then writes files through the symlink, causing writes to arbitrary host paths. This escapes the extension sandbox and enables code execution. Version 0.224.4 patches the issue.

AnalysisAI

Zed, a code editor, has an extension installer allows tar/gzip downloads. [CVSS 8.8 HIGH]

Technical ContextAI

Affects Zed. Zed, a code editor, has an extension installer allows tar/gzip downloads. Prior to version 0.224.4, the tar extractor (async_tar::Archive::unpack) creates symlinks from the archive without validation, and the path guard (writeable_path_from_extension) only performs lexical prefix checks without resolving symlinks. An attacker can ship a tar that first creates a symlink inside the extension workdir pointing outside (e.g., escape -> /), then writes files through the symlink, causing writes t