REDHAT-BUG-2379592: Medium severity GNU tar vulnerability
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/authorizedkeys. This can affect server applications that automatically extract any number of user-supplied TAR archives, and were relying on the blocking of traversal.
Affected Software
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of REDHAT-BUG-2379592?
The severity of REDHAT-BUG-2379592 is considered high due to the potential for file overwrite through directory traversal.
How do I fix REDHAT-BUG-2379592?
To fix REDHAT-BUG-2379592, upgrade GNU Tar to a version later than 1.35 that addresses this vulnerability.
What software is affected by REDHAT-BUG-2379592?
REDHAT-BUG-2379592 affects GNU Tar version 1.35 and earlier versions.
What type of attack does REDHAT-BUG-2379592 enable?
REDHAT-BUG-2379592 enables a directory traversal attack that can lead to file overwrites.
Is manual extraction of TAR archives safe in the context of REDHAT-BUG-2379592?
No, manual extraction of TAR archives is not safe if they contain symlinks pointing to critical directories, as highlighted in REDHAT-BUG-2379592.