# GHSA-fp55-jw48-c537: astral-tokio-tar is Vulnerable to PAX Header Desynchronization

> Attackers can smuggle unexpected files onto a victim's filesystem by exploiting PAX header desynchronization in the astral-tokio-tar library.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 27 Apr 2026
- **Also known as:** RUSTSEC-2026-0112

## What is GHSA-fp55-jw48-c537?

GHSA-fp55-jw48-c537 is a path traversal vulnerability in astral-tokio-tar, published on 27 Apr 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

### Impact

Versions of astral-tokio-tar prior to 0.6.1 contain a PAX header interpretation bug that allows manipulated entries to be made selectively visible or invisible during extraction with astral-tokio-tar versus other tar implementations. An attacker could use this differential to smuggle unexpected files onto a victim's filesystem.

See GHSA-j5gw-2vrg-8fgx for a similar desynchronization bug in astral-tokio-tar.

### Patches

Versions 0.6.1 and newer of astral-tokio-tar address this differential.

### Workarounds

Users are advised to upgrade to version 0.6.1 or newer to address this advisory.

There is no workaround other than upgrading. Users should experience no breaking changes as a result of the upgrade.

### Resources

- GHSA-j5gw-2vrg-8fgx is a similar PAX desynchronization bug

### Attribution

- Reporter: Adam Harvey (@lawngnome)

## Which versions are affected by GHSA-fp55-jw48-c537?

3 open source packages ship an affected version, including astral-tokio-tar.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `astral-tokio-tar` | crates.io | All versions | 0.6.1 |
| `astral-tokio-tar` | crates.io | All versions | 0.6.1 |
| `astral-tokio-tar` | crates.io | From 0.0.0-0 | 0.6.1 |

## How do I fix GHSA-fp55-jw48-c537?

Upgrade astral-tokio-tar to 0.6.1 or later.

## Is GHSA-fp55-jw48-c537 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of GHSA-fp55-jw48-c537 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for GHSA-fp55-jw48-c537 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: GHSA-fp55-jw48-c537 is a path traversal vulnerability in astral-tokio-tar, published on 27 Apr 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of GHSA-fp55-jw48-c537 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- astral-tokio-tar (crates.io): affected all versions; fixed in 0.6.1
- astral-tokio-tar (crates.io): affected all versions; fixed in 0.6.1
- astral-tokio-tar (crates.io): affected from 0.0.0-0; fixed in 0.6.1

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/GHSA-fp55-jw48-c537/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/GHSA-fp55-jw48-c537/index.md)
```

## Sources

- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-fp55-jw48-c537

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/GHSA-fp55-jw48-c537/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.