CVE-2026-54574 `proot-distro install` has a Symlink Escape (Arbitrary Host File Write) via Malicious Tar Archive
A malicious tar archive can exploit symlink handling in proot-distro to write arbitrary files to the host filesystem, potentially leading to code execution.
- 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-2026-54574?
CVE-2026-54574 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in termux proot-distro, published on 29 Jul 2026. 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
proot-distro is a utility for managing proot containers. Prior to version 5.1.5, proot-distro install extracted plain tarball root filesystems through _extract_plain_tar() in proot_distro/commands/install.py and Docker layers through _apply_layer() in proot_distro/helpers/docker.py without validating archive-controlled symlink targets in member.linkname, allowing a malicious archive to plant an absolute host-path symlink and write files through it onto the host filesystem. This issue is fixed in version 5.1.5.
Weakness: CWE-61
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-54574?
3 open source packages ship an affected version, including proot-distro.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
proot-distro PyPI | All versions | 5.1.5 |
proot-distro PyPI | All versions | 5.1.5 |
proot-distro PyPI | All versions | 5.1.5 |
How do I fix CVE-2026-54574?
Upgrade proot-distro to 5.1.5 or later.
Upgrade, and resolve every user-supplied path against an allowed base folder before opening it. More about Path traversal.
Is CVE-2026-54574 being exploited?
It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-54574 exists.
Sources
Also known as GHSA-9xq3-3fqg-4vg7, PYSEC-2026-3608.