CVE-2025-4138: Bypassing extraction filter to create symlinks to arbitrary targets outside extraction directory

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2025-4138 is a high (CVSS 7.5) vulnerability in python software foundation cpython. EPSS estimates a 1.49% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 74% of scored vulnerabilities.

Timeline

1. 03-06-2025
   PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
2. 31-07-2026
   Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

Description

Allows the extraction filter to be ignored, allowing symlink targets to point outside the destination directory, and the modification of some file metadata. You are affected by this vulnerability if using the tarfile module to extract untrusted tar archives using TarFile.extractall() or TarFile.extract() using the filter= parameter with a value of "data" or "tar". See the tarfile extraction filters documentation https://docs.python.org/3/library/tarfile.html#tarfile-extraction-filter  for more information. Note that for Python 3.14 or later the default value of filter= changed from "no filtering" to `"data", so if you are relying on this new default behavior then your usage is also affected. Note that none of these vulnerabilities significantly affect the installation of source distributions which are tar archives as source distributions already allow arbitrary code execution during the build process. However when evaluating source distributions it's important to avoid installing source distributions with suspicious links.

• CWE-22Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted DirectoryThe product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.