Memory-exhaustion crash via zero-length substitution matches
Published Nov 5, 2025 · Updated Nov 5, 2025
Denial of service in libarchive bsdtar before 3.8.1 allows local users to exhaust memory via crafted -s substitution rules. In tar/subst.c, apply_substitution accepts a zero-length global regex match, appends replacement text, and reprocesses the same input position. Exploitation requires local invocation with a global rule whose pattern matches an empty string; the process grows until an out-of-memory crash.
Summary
What happened
Denial of service in libarchive bsdtar before 3.8.1 allows local users to exhaust memory via crafted -s substitution rules. In tar/subst.c, apply_substitution accepts a zero-length global regex match, appends replacement text, and reprocesses the same input position. Exploitation requires local invocation with a global rule whose pattern matches an empty string; the process grows until an out-of-memory crash.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-60753
- Published
- Nov 5, 2025
- Updated
- Nov 5, 2025
- Vendor
- Unknown vendor
- Product
- Unknown product
- Classifications
- CWE-400, CWE-835, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Nov 5, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Nov 5, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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What is affected?
Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- bsdtar zero-length substitution proof of conceptproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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