melange has Path Traversal via .PKGINFO in --persist-lint-results
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · Low · Low
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and GitHub.
Summary
melange allows users to build apk packages using declarative pipelines. Starting in version 0.32.0 and prior to version 0.43.4, `melange lint --persist-lint-results` (opt-in flag, also usable via `melange build --persist-lint-results`) constructs output file paths by joining `--out-dir` with the `arch` and `pkgname` values read from the `.PKGINFO` control file of the APK being linted. In affected versions these values were not validated for path separators or `..` sequences, so an attacker who can supply an APK to a melange-based lint/build pipeline (e.g. CI that lints third-party APKs, or build-as-a-service) could cause melange to write `lint-<pkgname>-<pkgver>-r<epoch>.json` to an arbitrary `.json` path reachable by the melange process. The written file is a JSON lint report whose content is partially attacker-influenced. There is no direct code-execution path, but the write can clobber other JSON artifacts on the filesystem. The issue only affects deployments that explicitly pass `--persist-lint-results`; the flag is off by default. The issue is fixed in melange v0.43.4 by validating `arch` and `pkgname` for `..`, `/`, and `filepath.Separator` before path construction in `pkg/linter/results.go` (commit 84f3b45). As a workaround, do not pass `--persist-lint-results` when linting or building APKs whose `.PKGINFO` contents are not fully trusted. Running melange as a low-privileged user and confining writes to an isolated directory also limits impact.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| chainguard-dev | melange | 0.32.0 to before 0.43.4 | 0.43.4 | Patch available | CNA |
| — | chainguard.dev/melange (Go) | 0.32.0 to before 0.43.4 | 0.43.4 | Patch available | GHSA-q2pw-xx38-p64j |
- melange Vendorchainguard-dev Affected 0.32.0 to before 0.43.4 Fixed in 0.43.4 Patch available CNA
- chainguard.dev/melange (Go) Vendor— Affected 0.32.0 to before 0.43.4 Fixed in 0.43.4 Patch available GHSA-q2pw-xx38-p64j
CPE configurations NVD · 1
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:chainguard:melange:*:*:*:*:*:go:*:* | 0.32.0 to before 0.43.4 | Vulnerable | chainguard-dev |
- cpe:2.3:a:chainguard:melange:*:*:*:*:*:go:*:* Versions 0.32.0 to before 0.43.4 Vulnerable ·chainguard-dev
Remediation
- Fix · CNA melange (chainguard-dev) Fixed in 0.43.4
- Fix · GHSA-q2pw-xx38-p64j chainguard.dev/melange (Go) Fixed in 0.43.4 Advisory →
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-29051
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-q2pw-xx38-p64j
References
More chainguard-dev Melange vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-20043 melange pipeline working-directory could allow command injection CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2026-20042 melange QEMU runner could write files outside workspace directory CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2026-20305 melange affected by potential host command execution via license-check YAML mode patch pipeline CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.8
- TI-2026-23195 melange has Path Traversal When Resolving External Pipelines via Unvalidated pipeline[].uses CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 6.1
- TI-2026-20307 melange has a path traversal in license-path which allows reading files outside workspace CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 5.5
- TI-2026-23194 melange: unbounded HTTP download in `melange update-cache` can exhaust disk in CI CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 4.3
Sources
- CVE-2026-29051 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-29051 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-q2pw-xx38-p64j · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
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