Vulnerability · Published Jul 29, 2026 · Assigned by GitHub_M
CVE-2026-54574`proot-distro install` has a Symlink Escape (Arbitrary Host File Write) via Malicious Tar Archive
High 8.2
In plain English
A high-severity security flaw in proot-distro from termux. Proof-of-concept exploit code is public. The chance it is exploited in the next 30 days is estimated at 0.2% (higher than 12% of all known vulnerabilities). Fixed versions are available - upgrade the affected package.
Official description
proot-distro is a utility for managing proot containers. Prior to version 5.1.5, proot-distro install extracted plain tarball root filesystems through _extract_plain_tar() in proot_distro/commands/install.py and Docker layers through _apply_layer() in proot_distro/helpers/docker.py without validating archive-controlled symlink targets in member.linkname, allowing a malicious archive to plant an absolute host-path symlink and write files through it onto the host filesystem. This issue is fixed in version 5.1.5.
Affected packages & fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| PyPI | proot-distro | 5.1.5 | GHSA-9xq3-3fqg-4vg7 |
| PyPI | proot-distro | 5.1.5 | PYSEC-2026-3608 |
Affected products (as reported)
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| termux | proot-distro | < 5.1.5 |
Weakness: CWE-61 · Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N