# CVE-2026-39246: Path traversal in n/a

> Attackers can create arbitrary symlinks during archive extraction, leading to information disclosure of sensitive files outside the target directory.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 9 Jul 2026
- **Updated:** 10 Jul 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-m5fg-qjq5-56fv

## What is CVE-2026-39246?

CVE-2026-39246 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in n/a, published on 9 Jul 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

decompress before 4.2.2 allows arbitrary symlink creation during archive extraction. When processing symlink entries (type === 'symlink'), the x.linkname field from the archive is passed directly to fs.symlink() without validation (index.js line 121). The preventWritingThroughSymlink check on line 98 only applies to file entries, not symlink creation. An attacker can craft an archive with symlink entries pointing to sensitive files outside the extraction directory (e.g., /etc/passwd), enabling information disclosure when the application reads the extracted contents.

Weakness: CWE-59 (Improper Link Resolution Before File Access)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-39246?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Decompress Project Decompress.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-39246?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-39246 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-39246 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-39246 exists.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2020-12265](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-12265/): Path Traversal in decompress (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2026-39245](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-39245/): Path traversal in n/a (medium 6.2)
- [CVE-2026-39243](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-39243/): decompress allows arbitrary hardlink creation during archive extraction (medium 5.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-39246 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-39246 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in n/a, published on 9 Jul 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-39246 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-2026-39246/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-39246/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-39246
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-39246
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-39246

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-39246/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.