CVE-2026-73030

Received Received - Intake

Path Traversal in Unearth via Malicious Tar Archive

Publication date: 2026-08-10

Last updated on: 2026-08-10

Assigner: VulnCheck

Description

unearth through 0.18.2, fixed in commit 6c78164, contains a path traversal vulnerability in the is_within_directory function that fails to normalize paths before validation, allowing ../ sequences to bypass directory containment checks. Attackers can supply malicious tar archives with symlink members or traversal sequences to write files to arbitrary filesystem locations accessible to the process.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

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Meta Information

Published

2026-08-10

Last Modified

2026-08-10

Generated

2026-08-11

AI Q&A

2026-08-11

EPSS Evaluated

N/A

NVD

CVE-2026-73030

EUVD

EUVD-2026-55802

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
unearth	unearth	to 0.18.2 (inc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-22	The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a path traversal issue in the unearth library through version 0.18.2. The is_within_directory function fails to normalize paths before checking if they are within a specified directory. This allows attackers to use ../ sequences in tar archives to bypass containment checks and write files to arbitrary locations on the filesystem where the process has access.

Detection Guidance

To detect this vulnerability, inspect systems using unearth versions before 0.18.2. Check for unexpected file writes or symlinks in directories processed by unearth. Review tar archives handled by the tool for ../ sequences or malicious symlinks.

Impact Analysis

An attacker could exploit this to overwrite critical files, execute malicious code, or gain unauthorized access to sensitive data on your system. This could lead to system compromise, data breaches, or disruption of services if the affected process has sufficient permissions.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access or modification of sensitive data, violating GDPR's integrity and confidentiality principles or HIPAA's safeguards for protected health information. Organizations may face compliance violations, fines, or reputational damage if exploited.

Mitigation Strategies

Upgrade unearth to version 0.18.2 or later, which includes the fix in commit 6c78164. Avoid processing untrusted tar archives until updated. Monitor filesystem writes for suspicious activity.

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