CVE-2026-19672
MediumCVSS 6.3Exploitation Probability (EPSS)
Low risk34th percentile - higher than 34% of all known CVEs
Summary
The tarfile module in Python has a vulnerability in its extraction filters that allows creating directories outside the destination for members whose name leaves the destination and returns to it (e.g., ../evil/../dest/sub/file). The issue affects only POSIX platforms and creates only empty directories outside the destination.
Risk Assessment
An attacker could exploit this to create unexpected directories on the filesystem, potentially leading to system clutter or security issues if directories are created in sensitive locations.
Recommendation
Upgrade Python to a patched version and avoid extracting untrusted tar archives.
Other vulnerabilities in Python tarfile
See all- CVE-2026-87910Medium
When tarfile extracts a link on a system that doesn't support links, it falls back to extracting a member from the archive. In this case, the filter function is run twice, and for one of the calls the return value was ignored, which may lead to improper extraction of a member.
- CVE-2026-11940High
The tarfile.extractall() function with the 'data' or 'tar' filter can be bypassed by a crafted archive where a hardlink references a symlink stored deeper than the hardlink itself. This allows creating a symlink pointing outside the destination directory, enabling out-of-destination file reads or writes. This is an incomplete fix of CVE-2025-4330.
- CVE-2025-8194High
A defect in CPython's tarfile module affects TarFile extraction and entry enumeration APIs. Tar archives with negative offsets cause an infinite loop and deadlock during parsing of malicious archives.
- CVE-2025-4330High
Vulnerability in Python's tarfile module allows the extraction filter to be ignored, enabling symlink targets to point outside the destination directory and modification of file metadata. Affects TarFile.extractall() or TarFile.extract() with filter='data' or 'tar'.
Original NVD description (English source)
The tarfile module's tar and data extraction filters created directories outside the destination for members whose name leaves the destination and returns to it, such as ../evil/../dest/sub/file. The containment check used the resolved path, but intermediate directories were created from the name as given. Only empty directories are created outside the destination. Member contents are still extracted inside it. To return to the destination the member's name must contain the destination directory's own final component, so extraction into a secure randomised directory is not affected. This affects POSIX platforms only. On Windows, .. components are collapsed before the path reaches the filesystem, so the directories outside the destination are never created.
Vulnerability data from NVD (NIST) · CISA KEV · EPSS