decompress before 4.2.2 allows arbitrary symlink creation during archive extraction.
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · High · None
- Fix status
- Will not fix Red Hat: no fix planned
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CISA ADP. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
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.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- Poc
- Automatable
- Yes
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | all versions | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- — Vendor— Affected all versions Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 1
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:decompress_project:decompress:*:*:*:*:*:node.js:*:* | up to 4.2.1 | Vulnerable | Decompress Project |
- cpe:2.3:a:decompress_project:decompress:*:*:*:*:*:node.js:*:* Versions up to 4.2.1 Vulnerable ·Decompress Project
Remediation
No fixed version listed by the sources yet.
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Important. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes 2 | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
Not affected: 2 products
- Red Hat Build of Keycloak
- Red Hat Hardened Images
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-39246
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-m5fg-qjq5-56fv
- 2026-10-11 EPSS moved to the 50th–90th percentile
References
More Decompress Project Decompress vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-28285 decompress before 4.2.2 contains an improper path containment check that enables… CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 6.2
- TI-2026-28283 decompress before 4.2.2 allows arbitrary hardlink creation during archive extraction… CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 5.5
- TI-2020-09798 The decompress package before 4.2.1 for Node.js is vulnerable to Arbitrary File Write via… CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
Sources
- CVE-2026-39246 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-39246 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-m5fg-qjq5-56fv · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-39246 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences