CVE-2020-36241Public exploit

Out-of-directory file writes via symlinked archive parents

Published Feb 5, 2021 · Updated Aug 4, 2024

Path traversal in GNOME gnome-autoar 0.2.4 and earlier allows remote attackers to write files outside the extraction directory. autoar-extractor.c fails to reject an archive entry whose parent is a symbolic link to a directory outside the extraction root. Exploitation requires a user to extract a crafted archive and can overwrite files writable by the extracting process.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.64%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Path traversal in GNOME gnome-autoar 0.2.4 and earlier allows remote attackers to write files outside the extraction directory. autoar-extractor.c fails to reject an archive entry whose parent is a symbolic link to a directory outside the extraction root. Exploitation requires a user to extract a crafted archive and can overwrite files writable by the extracting process.

The record

CVE
CVE-2020-36241
Published
Feb 5, 2021
Updated
Aug 4, 2024
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-59, CWE-22, T1204.002, T1203
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Feb 5, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 4, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

5.5NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
2.1NIST NVDAV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-59Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
CWE-22Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
T1204.002User Execution Malicious File
T1203Exploitation for Client Execution

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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