# CVE-2006-6097: Path traversal in n/a

> Attackers can overwrite arbitrary files by tricking users into extracting a malicious tar archive containing symbolic links.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.0 (`AV:N/AC:H/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:P`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 24 Nov 2006
- **Updated:** 7 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2006-6097, DSA-1223-1, GHSA-f4p7-cvff-gr4c, RHSA-2006:0749

## What is CVE-2006-6097?

CVE-2006-6097 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in n/a, published on 24 Nov 2006. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

GNU tar 1.16 and 1.15.1, and possibly other versions, allows user-assisted attackers to overwrite arbitrary files via a tar file that contains a GNUTYPE_NAMES record with a symbolic link, which is not properly handled by the extract_archive function in extract.c and extract_mangle function in mangle.c, a variant of CVE-2002-1216.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2006-6097?

It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `tar` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:2.1::as | All versions | 0:1.13.25-6.AS21.1 |
| `tar` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:2.1::aw | All versions | 0:1.13.25-6.AS21.1 |
| `tar` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:2.1::es | All versions | 0:1.13.25-6.AS21.1 |
| `tar` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:2.1::ws | All versions | 0:1.13.25-6.AS21.1 |
| `tar` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:3::as | All versions | 0:1.13.25-15.RHEL3 |
| `tar-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:3::as | All versions | 0:1.13.25-15.RHEL3 |
| `tar` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:3::desktop | All versions | 0:1.13.25-15.RHEL3 |
| `tar-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:3::desktop | All versions | 0:1.13.25-15.RHEL3 |
| `tar` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:3::es | All versions | 0:1.13.25-15.RHEL3 |
| `tar-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:3::es | All versions | 0:1.13.25-15.RHEL3 |
| `tar` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:3::ws | All versions | 0:1.13.25-15.RHEL3 |
| `tar-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:3::ws | All versions | 0:1.13.25-15.RHEL3 |
| `tar` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::as | All versions | 0:1.14-12.RHEL4 |
| `tar-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::as | All versions | 0:1.14-12.RHEL4 |
| `tar` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::desktop | All versions | 0:1.14-12.RHEL4 |
| `tar-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::desktop | All versions | 0:1.14-12.RHEL4 |
| `tar` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::es | All versions | 0:1.14-12.RHEL4 |
| `tar-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::es | All versions | 0:1.14-12.RHEL4 |
| `tar` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::ws | All versions | 0:1.14-12.RHEL4 |
| `tar-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::ws | All versions | 0:1.14-12.RHEL4 |

Products: Gnu Tar.

## How do I fix CVE-2006-6097?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2006-6097 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2006-6097 exists.

Public exploit code:

- GNU Tar 1.1x - 'GNUTYPE_NAMES' Directory Traversal (exploitdb)

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2005-2541](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2005-2541/): Privilege escalation in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2019-9923](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-9923/): Null dereference in n/a (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2016-6321](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-6321/): Path traversal in n/a (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2007-4131](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2007-4131/): Path traversal in n/a (medium 6.8)
- [CVE-2023-39804](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-39804/): Denial of service in n/a (medium 6.2)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2006-6097 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2006-6097 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in n/a, published on 24 Nov 2006. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2006-6097 exists.

Affected product: n/a. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2006-6097/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2006-6097/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2006-6097
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2006-6097
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2006-6097

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2006-6097/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.