async-tar PAX extension-header desync enables tar entry/content smuggling
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Attack requirements
- Present
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · Low · None
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and GitHub.
Summary
async-tar is a tar archive reading/writing library for async Rust. Prior to version 0.6.1, async-tar mis-applies a buffered PAX size extension to an intermediary extension header (a GNU longname L, a GNU longlink K, or a PAX x/g header) instead of to the next file entry. POSIX requires a PAX extended-header record set to describe the next file entry, never an intervening extension header. Because poll_next_raw (src/archive.rs) threads the buffered PAX records into the size computation of whatever raw header it reads next — and that header can be an intermediary L — the stream cursor is advanced by an attacker-chosen amount when the L body is consumed. The parser then desyncs relative to a POSIX-correct tar parser (e.g. GNU tar), reading subsequent bytes at the wrong block boundary. This issue has been patched in version 0.6.1.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| dignifiedquire | async-tar | before 0.6.1 | 0.6.1 | Patch available | CNA |
| — | async-tar (crates.io) | before 0.6.1 | 0.6.1 | Patch available | GHSA-35rm-7j9c-2f7m |
- async-tar Vendordignifiedquire Affected before 0.6.1 Fixed in 0.6.1 Patch available CNA
- async-tar (crates.io) Vendor— Affected before 0.6.1 Fixed in 0.6.1 Patch available GHSA-35rm-7j9c-2f7m
Remediation
- Fix · CNA async-tar (dignifiedquire) Fixed in 0.6.1
- Fix · GHSA-35rm-7j9c-2f7m async-tar (crates.io) Fixed in 0.6.1 Advisory →
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
Not affected: 1 product
- Red Hat Trusted Profile Analyzer
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-53600
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-35rm-7j9c-2f7m
References
Sources
- CVE-2026-53600 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-53600 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-35rm-7j9c-2f7m · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-53600 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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