Path Traversal in Isaacs Node-Tar
CVE-2026-31802
node-tar is a full-featured Tar for Node.js. Prior to version 7.5.11, tar (npm) can be tricked into creating a symlink that points outside the extraction directory by using a drive-relative symlink target such as C:../../../target.txt, which enables file overwrite outside cwd during normal tar.x() extraction. This vulnerability is fixed in 7.5.11.
Vulnerability class: Path Traversal (Directory Traversal)
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 5.5 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.002 (8.2th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 8th percentile — 8.2% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.003 · newest: 0.002 · change: -0.001
Affected products
- Isaacs Node-Tar — versions < 7.5.11
- Isaacs Tar
Weakness classification (CWE)
Public proof-of-concept exploits
References
- github.com/isaacs/node-tar/security/advisories/GHSA-9ppj-qmqm-q256 (Exploit, Vendor Advisory)
- github.com/isaacs/node-tar/commit/f48b5fa3b7985ddab96dc0f2125a4ffc9911b6ad (Vendor Advisory)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-31802?
- CVE-2026-31802 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Isaacs Node-Tar, classified under Path Traversal. CVSS score: 5.5/10. Published 2026-03-10.
- How severe is CVE-2026-31802?
- Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 5.5 out of 10.
- Is CVE-2026-31802 known to be exploited?
- 4 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.