# CVE-2026-42496: Path traversal in Archive::Tar

> Attackers can extract symlinks pointing outside the target directory, allowing arbitrary file read or write operations via subsequent file access.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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:** Yes
- **Published:** 26 May 2026
- **Updated:** 15 Jul 2026
- **Also known as:** ALSA-2026:30852, ALSA-2026:30856, ALSA-2026:30857, AZL-89133, BELL-CVE-2026-42496, CLSA-2026-1783078093, CLSA-2026-1783078783, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-42496, ECHO-1732-bcf6-7970, GHSA-8p37-q9qq-hgx8, OESA-2026-2678, RHSA-2026:30852, RHSA-2026:30856, RHSA-2026:30857, RLSA-2026:30852, RLSA-2026:30856, RLSA-2026:30857, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2026-42496, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-42496

## What is CVE-2026-42496?

CVE-2026-42496 is a critical path traversal vulnerability in BINGOS Archive::Tar, published on 26 May 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official 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.

Weakness: CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory), CWE-59 (Improper Link Resolution Before File Access)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-42496?

It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `perl-Archive-Tar` | AlmaLinux:10 | All versions | 3.02-512.el10_2.1 |
| `perl-Archive-Tar` | AlmaLinux:8 | All versions | 2.30-2.el8_10 |
| `perl-Archive-Tar` | AlmaLinux:9 | All versions | 2.38-6.el9_8.1 |
| `perl-Archive-Tar` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:10.2 | All versions | 0:3.02-512.el10_2.1 |
| `perl-Archive-Tar` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::baseos | All versions | 0:2.30-2.el8_10 |
| `perl-Archive-Tar` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstream | All versions | 0:2.38-6.el9_8.1 |
| `perl-Archive-Tar` | Rocky Linux:10 | All versions | 0:3.02-512.el10_2.1 |
| `perl-Archive-Tar` | Rocky Linux:8 | All versions | 0:2.30-2.el8_10 |
| `perl-Archive-Tar` | Rocky Linux:9 | All versions | 0:2.38-6.el9_8.1 |

Products: Archive\ \.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-42496?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2026-42496 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-42496 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in BINGOS Archive::Tar

- [CVE-2026-42497](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-42497/): Path traversal in Archive::Tar (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2026-9538](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-9538/): Denial of service in Archive::Tar (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2007-4829](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2007-4829/): Path traversal in n/a (medium 6.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-42496 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-42496 is a critical path traversal vulnerability in BINGOS Archive::Tar, published on 26 May 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-42496 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: BINGOS Archive::Tar. 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-2026-42496/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-42496/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-42496
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-42496
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-42496

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-42496/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.