Process crash via unsanitized PAX paths
Published Jul 8, 2026 · Updated Jul 8, 2026
Uncaught exception handling in node-tar before 7.5.17 allows remote attackers to terminate processes via crafted tar archives. PAX parseKVLine stores embedded NUL bytes in path and linkpath values without stripping them, so fs.lstat or fs.open throws outside the consumer's promise error boundary. Exploitation requires a process to parse an attacker-supplied archive; the resulting uncaught exception crashes that process without reading or modifying data.
Summary
What happened
Uncaught exception handling in node-tar before 7.5.17 allows remote attackers to terminate processes via crafted tar archives. PAX parseKVLine stores embedded NUL bytes in path and linkpath values without stripping them, so fs.lstat or fs.open throws outside the consumer's promise error boundary. Exploitation requires a process to parse an attacker-supplied archive; the resulting uncaught exception crashes that process without reading or modifying data.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-59875
- Published
- Jul 8, 2026
- Updated
- Jul 8, 2026
- Vendor
- Isaac Z. Schlueter
- Product
- tar
- Classifications
- CWE-248, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jul 8, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jul 8, 2026Record 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=< 7.5.17
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.
Public exploit references
- PAX NUL process-crash proof of conceptproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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