CVE-2026-26960: isaacs node-tar Path Traversal

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2026-26960 is a high (CVSS 7.1) Path Traversal vulnerability in isaacs node-tar. EPSS estimates a 0.23% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 13.1% of scored vulnerabilities. 1 public exploit is recorded.

Timeline

1. 20-02-2026
   PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
2. 20-02-2026
   Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

Description

node-tar is a full-featured Tar for Node.js. When using default options in versions 7.5.7 and below, an attacker-controlled archive can create a hardlink inside the extraction directory that points to a file outside the extraction root, enabling arbitrary file read and write as the extracting user. Severity is high because the primitive bypasses path protections and turns archive extraction into a direct filesystem access primitive. This issue has been fixed in version 7.5.8.

• CWE-22Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')The 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.