Path Traversal in Chainguard Malcontent
CVE-2026-24846
malcontent discovers supply-chain compromises through. context, differential analysis, and YARA. Starting in version 1.8.0 and prior to version 1.20.3, malcontent could be made to create symlinks outside the intended extraction directory when scanning a specially crafted tar or deb archive. The `handleSymlink` function received arguments in the wrong order, causing the symlink target to be used as the symlink location. Additionally, symlink targets were not validated to ensure they resolved within the extraction directory. Version 1.20.3 introduces fixes that swap handleSymlink arguments, validate symlink location, and validate symlink targets that resolve within an extraction directory.
Vulnerability class: Path Traversal (Directory Traversal)
EPSS: 0.002 (6.6th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 5.5 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N.
Affected products
- Chainguard Malcontent
- Chainguard-dev Malcontent — versions >= 1.8.0, < 1.20.3
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- security-advisories@github.com (x_refsource_CONFIRM, Vendor Advisory)
- security-advisories@github.com (Patch, x_refsource_MISC)
- security-advisories@github.com (Patch, x_refsource_MISC)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-24846?
- CVE-2026-24846 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Chainguard Malcontent, classified under Path Traversal. CVSS score: 5.5/10. Published 2026-01-29.
- How severe is CVE-2026-24846?
- Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 5.5 out of 10.