Directory traversal vulnerability in the BusyBox implementation of tar before 1.22.0 v5 allows remote attackers to point to files outside th
Directory traversal vulnerability in the BusyBox implementation of tar before 1.22.0 v5 allows remote attackers to point to files outside the current working directory via a symlink.
- Published
- Aug 7, 2017
- Updated
- Jun 16, 2026
- EPSS
- 7.0% · 94th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-22
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Report tools
Action score
32
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 30 / 40 · 7.5 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 2 / 30 · 7.0%
Affected systems
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| busybox | busybox | cpe:2.3:a:busybox:busybox |
| debian | debian linux | cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux |
| canonical | ubuntu linux | cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- busybox busyboxup to 1.21.1 inclusive
- canonical ubuntu linux14.04
- canonical ubuntu linux16.04
- canonical ubuntu linux18.04
- canonical ubuntu linux18.10
- debian debian linux8.0
- debian debian linux9.0
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | busybox | before 1:1.27.2-1 | 1:1.27.2-1 |
| Debian:8 | busybox | before 1:1.22.0-9+deb8u2 | 1:1.22.0-9+deb8u2 |
| Debian:9 | busybox | before 1:1.22.0-19+deb9u1 | 1:1.22.0-19+deb9u1 |
| openSUSE:Leap 15.2 | busybox | before 1.26.2-lp152.5.3.1 | 1.26.2-lp152.5.3.1 |
| openSUSE:Leap 15.2 | busybox-static | before 1.26.2-lp152.5.3.1 | 1.26.2-lp152.5.3.1 |
| openSUSE:Leap 15.3 | busybox | before 1.26.2-4.5.1 | 1.26.2-4.5.1 |
| openSUSE:Leap 15.3 | busybox | before 1.34.1-4.9.1 | 1.34.1-4.9.1 |
| openSUSE:Leap 15.3 | busybox-static | before 1.26.2-4.5.1 | 1.26.2-4.5.1 |
| openSUSE:Leap 15.3 | virtualbox | before 6.1.34-lp153.2.27.2 | 6.1.34-lp153.2.27.2 |
| openSUSE:Leap 15.3 | virtualbox-kmp | before 6.1.34-lp153.2.27.1 | 6.1.34-lp153.2.27.1 |
| openSUSE:Tumbleweed | busybox | before 1.35.0-1.1 | 1.35.0-1.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP2 | busybox | before 1.26.2-4.5.1 | 1.26.2-4.5.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP2 | busybox-static | before 1.26.2-4.5.1 | 1.26.2-4.5.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP3 | busybox | before 1.34.1-4.9.1 | 1.34.1-4.9.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP4 | busybox | before 1.35.0-150400.3.3.1 | 1.35.0-150400.3.3.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP4 | busybox | before 1.35.0-150400.3.3.1 | 1.35.0-150400.3.3.1 |
| SUSE:OpenStack Cloud 9 | busybox | before 1.35.0-4.3.1 | 1.35.0-4.3.1 |
Same product
busybox: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2018-1000517BusyBox project BusyBox wget version prior to commit 8e2174e9bd836e53c8b9c6e00d1bc6e2a718686e contains a Buffer Overflow vulnerability in Bu49Plan
- CVE-2016-2148Heap-based buffer overflow in the DHCP client (udhcpc) in BusyBox before 1.25.0 allows remote attackers to have unspecified impact via vecto47Plan
- CVE-2022-48174There is a stack overflow vulnerability in ash.c:6030 in busybox before 1.35.40Plan
- CVE-2021-42377An attacker-controlled pointer free in Busybox's hush applet leads to denial of service and possible code execution when processing a crafte40Plan
- CVE-2017-16544In the add_match function in libbb/lineedit.c in BusyBox through 1.27.2, the tab autocomplete feature of the shell, used to get a list of fi37Monitor
- CVE-2022-28391BusyBox through 1.35.0 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code if netstat is used to print a DNS PTR record's value to a VT compat36Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| debian:busybox | 1:1.27.2-1 · Debian:12 | Package registry (OSV) |
| opensuse:busybox | 1.35.0-150400.3.3.1 · openSUSE:Leap 15.4 | Package registry (OSV) |
| opensuse:busybox-static | 1.26.2-lp152.5.3.1 · openSUSE:Leap 15.2 | Package registry (OSV) |
| opensuse:virtualbox | 6.1.34-lp153.2.27.2 · openSUSE:Leap 15.3 | Package registry (OSV) |
| opensuse:virtualbox-kmp | 6.1.34-lp153.2.27.1 · openSUSE:Leap 15.3 | Package registry (OSV) |
| suse:busybox | 1.26.2-4.5.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP2 | Package registry (OSV) |
| suse:busybox | 1.35.0-150400.3.3.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP4 | Package registry (OSV) |
| suse:busybox-static | 1.26.2-4.5.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP2 | Package registry (OSV) |
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
No dated events beyond publication.
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
- No account or password is required.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- none
- Integrity
- high · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- none
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- None
- Integrity impact
- High
- Availability impact
- None
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
nvd-primary
Root cause
A user-supplied file name is joined with the allowed directory, but the result is never checked to confirm it is still inside that directory.
The bug in code
The whole CWE-22 classA representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.
Vulnerable
const file = path.join(ROOT, req.query.name);res.sendFile(file);Fixed
const file = path.resolve(ROOT, req.query.name);if (!file.startsWith(ROOT + path.sep)) { return res.sendStatus(400);}res.sendFile(file);Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
- Path TraversalCAPEC-126likelihood: High · Very High
- Using Slashes and URL Encoding Combined to Bypass Validation LogicCAPEC-64likelihood: High · High
- Manipulating Web Input to File System CallsCAPEC-76likelihood: High · Very High
- Using Escaped Slashes in Alternate EncodingCAPEC-78likelihood: High · High
- Using Slashes in Alternate EncodingCAPEC-79likelihood: High · High
ATT&CK techniques
—
Noroxi analysis
No Noroxi analysis for this record yet
We don't hand-write analysis for all 385,000+ vulnerabilities; that wouldn't be honest. For notable, high-impact vulnerabilities our team writes the mechanism, detection and remediation steps.
We use this product, ask for helpChange log
- Fix✗ → ✓
For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →
References
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2015/10/21/7
- bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1274215
- lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/07/msg00037.html
- lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/02/msg00020.html
- usn.ubuntu.com/3935-1/
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.