Vulnerability · Published Feb 20, 2026 · Assigned by GitHub_M
CVE-2026-26960node-tar has Arbitrary File Read/Write via Hardlink Target Escape Through Symlink Chain in Extraction
High 7.1
In plain English
A high-severity path traversal in node-tar from isaacs. There are no confirmed reports of exploitation so far. The chance it is exploited in the next 30 days is estimated at 0.3% (higher than 26% of all known vulnerabilities). Fixed versions are available - upgrade the affected package.
Official description
node-tar is a full-featured Tar for Node.js. When using default options in versions 7.5.7 and below, an attacker-controlled archive can create a hardlink inside the extraction directory that points to a file outside the extraction root, enabling arbitrary file read and write as the extracting user. Severity is high because the primitive bypasses path protections and turns archive extraction into a direct filesystem access primitive. This issue has been fixed in version 7.5.8.
Affected packages & fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | node-tar | 6.1.13+~cs7.0.5-1+deb12u1 | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-26960 |
| Debian:13 | node-tar | 6.2.1+~cs7.0.8-1+deb13u1 | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-26960 |
| Debian:14 | node-tar | 6.2.1+ds1+~cs6.1.13-8 | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-26960 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | node-tar | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-26960 |
| Ubuntu:24.04:LTS | node-tar | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-26960 |
| Ubuntu:25.10 | node-tar | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-26960 |
| Ubuntu:26.04:LTS | node-tar | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-26960 |
| Ubuntu:26.10 | node-tar | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-26960 |
| npm | tar | 7.5.8 | GHSA-83g3-92jg-28cx |
Affected products (as reported)
Weakness: CWE-22 · Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N