Arbitrary file writes via unvalidated hard links
Published Jun 2, 2025 · Updated Nov 3, 2025
Path traversal in mafintosh tar-fs before 1.16.5, 2.0.0 through 2.1.2, and 3.0.0 through 3.0.8 allows remote attackers to write arbitrary files. The extract path validates symlinks lexically, then onlink creates hard links from unresolved link targets, so a chained symlink redirects writes beyond the destination. Exploitation requires an application to extract an attacker-controlled tarball and permits file creation or overwrite with that process's filesystem access.
Summary
What happened
Path traversal in mafintosh tar-fs before 1.16.5, 2.0.0 through 2.1.2, and 3.0.0 through 3.0.8 allows remote attackers to write arbitrary files. The extract path validates symlinks lexically, then onlink creates hard links from unresolved link targets, so a chained symlink redirects writes beyond the destination. Exploitation requires an application to extract an attacker-controlled tarball and permits file creation or overwrite with that process's filesystem access.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-48387
- Published
- Jun 2, 2025
- Updated
- Nov 3, 2025
- Vendor
- mafintosh
- Product
- tar-fs
- Classifications
- CWE-22
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jun 2, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Nov 3, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=< 1.16.5
- Affected versionversion=>= 2.0.0, < 2.1.3
- Affected versionversion=>= 3.0.0, < 3.0.9
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- tar-fs Link Directory Traversal proof of conceptfunctional · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
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