🛡️ CVE-2026-42496 — \

🔴 CVSS 9.1 — Critical ✅ No Known Exploit CWE-59 NVD
9.1
CVSS Score
0 Low4 Medium7 High9 Critical10

Description

Archive::Tar versions before 3.08 for Perl extract symlinks with attacker controlled targets outside the extraction directory.

_make_special_file() passes the tar header's linkname to symlink() without validating it against absolute paths or .. segments. The secure-extract mode check that guards regular file extraction does not cover the symlink target.

A subsequent open through the extracted name reads or writes the attacker chosen path.

How this vulnerability can be exploited

This issue can be reached over the network, attack complexity is low, an attacker needs no privileges on the target. No user interaction is required. The scope is unchanged, so the impact stays within the vulnerable component. Rated impact: confidentiality high, integrity high, availability none.

Weakness class

CVE-2026-42496 is classified as CWE-59: Link Following. The software follows symbolic or hard links without verifying their target, so a planted link can redirect an operation to a sensitive file.

Affected software

CVE-2026-42496 is recorded against 2 packages.

  • \ (fixed in 3.08)
  • unknown

Timeline and source

Published on 26 May 2026 and last revised on 24 July 2026. No public exploit is currently recorded for this entry. A vendor advisory or fix has been published. Record sourced from NVD.

References

github.com
metacpan.org
www.cve.org
access.redhat.com
access.redhat.com
access.redhat.com
access.redhat.com
access.redhat.com
bugzilla.redhat.com
security.access.redhat.com

CVE-2026-42496 on other distributions

Each distribution ships its own build and its own fixed version. Pick the one you run:

Details

Severity CRITICAL
CVSS Score 9.1
CVSS Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
CWE CWE-59
Public Exploit ✅ No
Source NVD
Published 2026-05-26
Updated 2026-08-11
Modified 2026-07-24

Affected Packages

Software From version Fixed in
\ — 3.08
unknown — —

Exploit Protection

Are you running \?

CVE-2026-42496 carries CVSS 9.1 Critical rating. BotEraser checks your installation against this and other known CVE records, and blocks IPs associated with exploit activity.

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