CVE-2021-20193 Out-of-bounds Read and Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime in tar
An attacker can cause a denial of service by submitting a crafted file to tar, leading to uncontrolled memory consumption.
- 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
What is CVE-2021-20193?
CVE-2021-20193 is a low-severity denial of service vulnerability in tar, published on 26 Mar 2021. 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
A flaw was found in the src/list.c of tar 1.33 and earlier. This flaw allows an attacker who can submit a crafted input file to tar to cause uncontrolled consumption of memory. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to system availability.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-20193?
It affects 1 product.
Linux distribution packages (6)
tar SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.0 | All versions | 1.30-3.6.1 |
tar SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP2 | All versions | 1.30-3.6.1 |
tar SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5 | All versions | 1.27.1-15.9.1 |
tar SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP5 | All versions | 1.27.1-15.9.1 |
tar openSUSE:Leap 15.2 | All versions | 1.30-lp152.4.3.1 |
tar openSUSE:Tumbleweed | All versions | 1.34-5.1 |
Products include Gnu Tar.
How do I fix CVE-2021-20193?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade, then put limits on request size, rate and nesting depth so one client cannot exhaust the service. More about Denial of service.
Is CVE-2021-20193 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-20193 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in tar
Sources
Also known as ALPINE-CVE-2021-20193, DEBIAN-CVE-2021-20193, GHSA-mwq4-jmcc-2cx4, JLSEC-2026-183, MGASA-2021-0233, OESA-2021-1173 and 6 more.