CVE-2026-90954

Arbitrary file writes via premature deferred-symlink creation

Published Oct 14, 2026 · Updated Oct 14, 2026

Path traversal in BusyBox dpkg-deb allows attackers to write files outside the extraction directory via a crafted Debian archive. The get_header_ar handler creates deferred symlinks after each embedded archive rather than after all extraction, allowing later entries to follow those links outside the destination. Exploitation requires extraction with the affected applet, and writes remain limited by the extracting process's filesystem permissions; affected Red Hat Hardened Images tags are not publicly verified.

CVSS severityUnavailable
Unscored
EPSS probability0.20%
Next 30 days · Oct 19, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Path traversal in BusyBox dpkg-deb allows attackers to write files outside the extraction directory via a crafted Debian archive. The get_header_ar handler creates deferred symlinks after each embedded archive rather than after all extraction, allowing later entries to follow those links outside the destination. Exploitation requires extraction with the affected applet, and writes remain limited by the extracting process's filesystem permissions; affected Red Hat Hardened Images tags are not publicly verified.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-90954
Published
Oct 14, 2026
Updated
Oct 14, 2026
Vendor
libuser Project
Product
Red Hat Hardened Images
Classifications
Unavailable
Attack vector
Unavailable
Privileges
Unavailable

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Oct 14, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Oct 14, 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?

Affected versions are unavailable in this record. Check the vendor advisory for version and patch details.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorUnavailable in this record.
Required privilegesUnavailable in this record.

What is affected?

libuser Project · Red Hat Hardened ImagesAffected versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

No CVSS assessment is available in this record.

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.

Activity data is delayed. The latest report is Sep 28, 2026.

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

No observations available

Sep 22, 2026Sep 28, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 28, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
VectorUnavailable
PrivilegesUnavailable
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

No sourced classifications are available.

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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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