CVE-2020-36566

Path traversal in github.com/whyrusleeping/tar-utils

Critical · published December 27, 2022

CVSS v3.1
9.1
EPSS
1%
Percentile
64.6
In the wild
Unconfirmed
What it is

🚨 A crafty path traversal flaw means a malicious archive could write where it shouldn't, like a misdelivered package ending up in the wrong mailbox! 🔥 Think of it like a delivery driver misreading the address and dropping off a package at the neighbor's house instead of yours. In this case, the attacker can sneak files into areas they shouldn't be, just because the system didn't check the packaging closely enough. An attacker could leverage this flaw to overwrite or plant files outside the intended directory, leading to all sorts of chaos—like deleting important data or uploading malicious scripts that can compromise your entire system. This could lead to loss of data integrity and potentially give attackers a beachhead into your environment!

Put simply

Think of it like a delivery driver misreading the address and dropping off a package at the neighbor's house instead of yours. In this case, the attacker can sneak files into areas they shouldn't be, just because the system didn't check the packaging closely enough. This vulnerability arises due to improper path sanitization during file extraction from archives, allowing attackers to specify relative file paths and manipulate file writes outside the designated directory.

What to do

An attacker could leverage this flaw to overwrite or plant files outside the intended directory, leading to all sorts of chaos—like deleting important data or uploading malicious scripts that can compromise your entire system. This could lead to loss of data integrity and potentially give attackers a beachhead into your environment! It's crucial to patch this immediately! Update to the fixed version as soon as possible, review your file handling processes, and ensure that any path sanitization is robust enough to prevent such exploits. You've got this! Stay vigilant and follow these steps to seal the breach! 🛡️

The record
Technical detail
CVSS v3.1
9.1 · CRITICAL
Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
CVSS v4.0
Not supplied
EPSS
0.01070 · 64.6th percentile
Published
2022-12-27T21:13Z
EPSS history
Timeline
  • 27 DEC 21:13Z
    Path traversal in github.com/whyrusleeping/tar-utils
    cvelistv5