The npm package "tar" (aka node-tar) before versions 6.1.2, 5.0.7, 4.4.15, and 3.2.3 has an arbitrary File Creation/Overwrite vulnerability via insufficient symlink protection. node-tar aims to guarantee that any file whose location would be modified by a symbolic link is not extracted. This is, in part, achieved by ensuring that extracted directories are not symlinks. Additionally, in order to prevent unnecessary stat calls to determine whether a given path is a directory, paths are cached when directories are created. This logic was insufficient when extracting tar files that contained both a directory and a symlink with the same name as the directory. This order of operations resulted in the directory being created and added to the node-tar directory cache. When a directory is present in the directory cache, subsequent calls to mkdir for that directory are skipped. However, this is also where node-tar checks for symlinks occur. By first creating a directory, and then replacing that directory with a symlink, it was thus possible to bypass node-tar symlink checks on directories, essentially allowing an untrusted tar file to symlink into an arbitrary location and subsequently extracting arbitrary files into that location, thus allowing arbitrary file creation and overwrite. This issue was addressed in releases 3.2.3, 4.4.15, 5.0.7 and 6.1.2.
CVE-2021-32803
“—” beside the score: it is equal to NVD's CVSS score.
This high-severity CVE scores 8.2 under NVD CVSS v3. EPSS exploit probability: 7.8% (94th percentile of EPSS-scored CVEs). No GitHub Security Advisory CVSS is on record for this CVE.
- High severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet
A fix is available — apply it.
- CVSS v3
- 8.2
- EG Score
- 8.2HIGHmedium confidence
- EG Risk
- 40EG Risk 40/100
EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score. It fuses impact severity (EG Severity, the CVSS base score, never the KEV-floored or EPSS-lifted EG Score) with real-world exploitation and automatability, under weights EchelonGraph set by hand, so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner.
How it’s computed (value × EchelonGraph’s weight)Severity82% × 45%Impact severity (EG Severity): CVSS 8.2 of 10. Never the KEV-floored or EPSS-lifted EG Score.Exploitation7.8% × 40%FIRST EPSS: the 30-day exploitation probability when EchelonGraph scored this CVE.Automatability0% × 15%CISA's BOD 26-04 default: no one has published Automatable for this CVE, and CISA treats it as “no” for a CVE not in KEV.SSVC (CISA's decision table, applied by EchelonGraph): Track at low or medium mission impact; Track* at high (mission-essential systems).Exploitation none (no CISA value, KEV listing or exploit code on record) · Automatable no (CISA's BOD 26-04 default) · Technical impact total (CISA's BOD 26-04 default). EchelonGraph holds no SSVC assessment of this CVE from CISA: none of these inputs is from Vulnrichment. EchelonGraph applied CISA's decision table to them; CISA publishes SSVC inputs and the table, not a decision for each CVE.Action: A fix is available. Apply it within your standard update timelines. - EPSS PROB
- 7.8%
- EPSS %ILE
- 94th
- KEV
- Not listed
What the EG score is made of (scorer v4.0: the three questions the 0–10 score mixes, published apart · methodology)
The EG score (8.2): severity, escalated by confirmed exploitation. This CVE's 8.2 is its impact severity (EG Severity), not escalated.
- EG Severity
- 8.2 HIGHCVSS-B, impact only: no KEV listing, EPSS or EG-KEV tier raises it.NVD CVSS v3 · CVSS v3.0 or v3.1
- EG Likelihood
- 7.8% within 30 daysSource: FIRST EPSS (model v2026.06.15, score date 2026-10-20). FIRST's exploitation probability, not an EchelonGraph model.
- Confirmed exploitation
- None on record (CISA KEV, EG-KEV Tier 1)Reported apart from the likelihood: an observed fact, not a probability.
- EG Priority
- SSVC Track at medium mission impactTrack at low or medium mission impact; Track* at high (mission-essential systems).CISA BOD 26-04: 14 days if the affected system is publicly exposed; Fix on system upgrade if it is not.Each input and its source: the SSVC and BOD 26-04 blocks below.
SSVC (CISA's decision table, applied by EchelonGraph)Track at low or medium mission impact; Track* at high (mission-essential systems).
A fix is available. Apply it within your standard update timelines.
Exploitation none (no CISA value, KEV listing or exploit code on record) · Automatable no (CISA's BOD 26-04 default) · Technical impact total (CISA's BOD 26-04 default). EchelonGraph holds no SSVC assessment of this CVE from CISA: none of these inputs is from Vulnrichment. EchelonGraph applied CISA's decision table to them; CISA publishes SSVC inputs and the table, not a decision for each CVE. Mission impact is CISA's Mission & Well-being decision point, and only you can judge it. CISA's table makes it high when Mission Prevalence is Essential — the vulnerable component "directly provides capabilities that constitute at least one MEF for at least one entity" (MEF: mission essential function) — or when Public Well-Being Impact is Irreversible: "multiple fatalities are likely", the cyber-physical system "is likely lost or destroyed", "extreme or serious externalities" are imposed on other parties, or social systems such as elections or the financial grid "are destabilized and potentially collapse". CISA's decision table
BOD 26-04 (CISA's remediation timeline, Table 1)14 days if the affected system is publicly exposed; Fix on system upgrade if it is not.
In CISA KEV no (CISA's KEV catalog) · Automatable no (CISA's BOD 26-04 default) · Technical impact total (CISA's BOD 26-04 default). Where an input reads “CISA's BOD 26-04 default”, no one has published it for this CVE, and CISA's implementation guidance says: “If “Automatable” and “Technical Impact” information items about a CVE ID are not available and the CVE ID is not in the KEV Catalog, CISA will treat its values as “no” and “total,” respectively, until CISA or a third party provides metadata about the CVE ID. CISA will always provide the Vulnrichment data for a CVE ID listed in the KEV Catalog.” Whether your system is publicly exposed is yours to answer. BOD 26-04 binds US Federal Civilian Executive Branch agencies; for anyone else it is CISA's published timeline, a reference rather than an obligation. The directive · how EchelonGraph applies it
Published
August 3, 2021
Last Modified
November 21, 2024
Advisory Details (3)
Auto-updated Sep 8, 2026Arbitrary File Creation/Overwrite via insufficient symlink protection due to directory cache poisoning · Advisory · isaacs/node-tar · GitHub
https://github.com/npm/node-tar/security/advisories/GHSA-r628-mhmh-qjhwcommit 9dbdeb6df8e9 (npm/node-tar)
Patch available: npm/node-tar v6.1.12 (contains commit 9dbdeb6df8e9)
https://github.com/npm/node-tar/commit/9dbdeb6df8e9dbd96fa9e84341b9d74734be6c20Vendor Advisories for CVE-2021-32803(5)
These vendors published their own advisory mentioning this CVE — often with vendor-specific remediation steps + affected product lists not in NVD.
- CVE-2021-32803Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC)High
Arbitrary File Creation/Overwrite via insufficient symlink protection due to directory cache poisoning
- RHSA-2021:5086Red Hat Product SecurityMedium
Red Hat Security Advisory: Red Hat OpenShift Data Foundation 4.9.0 enhancement, security, and bug fix update
- RHSA-2021:4618Red Hat Product SecurityHigh
Red Hat Security Advisory: Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management 2.4 images and security updates
- RHSA-2021:3280Red Hat Product SecurityHigh
Red Hat Security Advisory: rh-nodejs14-nodejs and rh-nodejs14-nodejs-nodemon security update
- RHSA-2021:3281Red Hat Product SecurityHigh
Red Hat Security Advisory: rh-nodejs12-nodejs and rh-nodejs12-nodejs-nodemon security update
Patch Availability(8)
| Vendor / Ecosystem | Fix (by version range) / Patch | Released | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ubuntu | node-tar (4.4.10+ds1-2ubuntu1+esm1) @ focal | 2026-10-21 | ubuntu |
| redhat | odf/odf-multicluster-rhel8-operator:4.9-30.007b3d8.release_4.9 | 2021-12-13 | redhat |
| redhat | nodejs:14-8040020210817165654.522a0ee4 | 2021-09-27 | redhat |
| redhat | nodejs:12-8020020210817125332.4cda2c84 | 2021-09-22 | redhat |
| redhat | nodejs:12-8010020210817113128.c27ad7f8 | 2021-09-22 | redhat |
| redhat | nodejs:12-8040020210817133458.522a0ee4 | 2021-09-21 | redhat |
| redhat | rh-nodejs14-nodejs-0:14.17.5-1.el7 | 2021-08-26 | redhat |
| redhat | rh-nodejs12-nodejs-nodemon-0:2.0.3-5.el7 | 2021-08-26 | redhat |
Patches are aggregated from vendor advisories (Red Hat, Microsoft, Cisco, GitHub) and package ecosystems (OSV, GHSA). Multiple rows for the same upstream release have been deduplicated.
Affected Packages
(5 across 5 ecosystems)
Debian:11(1)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fix by version range | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| node-tar | 6.0.5+ds1+~cs11.3.9-1 |
| — |
Debian:12(1)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fix by version range | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| node-tar | — |
| — |
Debian:13(1)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fix by version range | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| node-tar | — |
| — |
Debian:14(1)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fix by version range | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| node-tar | — |
| — |
npm(1)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fix by version range | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| tar | — |
| — |
Weakness Classification(2)
MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.
Additional Vendor Advisories
(5)
Vendors that published advisories for this CVE beyond the curated set above. Broader coverage but minimal per-row detail — click through for the original advisory.
- Red HatRHSA-2021:3623MODERATE2021-08-03
RHSA-2021:3623 — Moderate
- Red HatRHSA-2021:3638MODERATE2021-08-03
RHSA-2021:3638 — Moderate
- Red HatRHSA-2021:3639MODERATE2021-08-03
RHSA-2021:3639 — Moderate
- Red HatRHSA-2021:3666MODERATE2021-08-03
RHSA-2021:3666 — Moderate
- UbuntuUSN-5283-1MEDIUM
Tar for Node.js vulnerability
Data Freshness Timeline
(refreshed 11× in last 7d / 37× in last 30d)
Each row is a time one of our pipelines fetched, updated or re-scored this CVE. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. An arrow marks a change the record states ("CVSS v3 → 9.1"); EPSS and GHSA rows show the values recorded at that time, not what changed (EPSS values are rounded; hover one for the exact figures). Most recent first.
Showing the most recent 93 of 194 refreshes on record for this CVE.
A repeat, a row identical to one the same pipeline wrote less than 10 seconds earlier, is not a separate refresh and is not counted. 7 repeat rows among the latest 100 are merged into the row they repeat. The 101 oldest rows on record are not shown and were not checked, so the counts can still include repeats.
- 2026-10-23 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-10-22 16:29 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-10-21 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-10-21 09:39 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-10-21 09:39 UTCVendor advisory
- 2026-10-20 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-10-19 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-10-18 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-10-18 09:01 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-10-18 06:55 UTCOSV refresh
- 2026-10-17 16:29 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-10-16 16:33 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-10-15 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-10-14 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-10-13 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-10-12 19:16 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-10-12 16:29 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-10-11 23:41 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-10-11 13:43 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-10-10 19:56 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-10-09 20:04 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-10-08 16:39 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-10-07 23:44 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-10-06 15:14 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-10-05 17:40 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
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- 2026-10-04 23:19 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-10-03 14:22 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-10-01 19:46 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-09-30 15:36 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-09-30 15:00 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-09-29 15:15 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-09-28 13:47 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-09-27 13:41 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-09-26 15:54 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-09-26 00:21 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-09-25 21:15 UTCOSV refresh
- 2026-09-24 14:00 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-09-23 13:44 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-09-22 14:44 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-09-21 20:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-09-19 15:38 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-09-18 19:23 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-09-17 19:23 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-09-16 14:05 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-09-15 03:06 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-09-13 16:43 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-09-12 14:57 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-09-11 14:49 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-09-11 09:33 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-09-08 21:56 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-09-07 15:58 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-09-06 13:45 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-09-06 11:30 UTCOSV refresh
- 2026-09-05 15:25 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-09-04 13:57 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-09-04 05:03 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-09-02 14:08 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-09-01 13:50 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
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- 2026-08-30 19:14 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
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- 2026-08-27 14:22 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
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- 2026-08-25 13:46 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-08-24 14:13 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-08-23 00:16 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-08-21 23:46 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-08-20 22:52 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-08-19 22:04 UTCOSV refresh
- 2026-08-19 17:01 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-08-18 13:45 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-08-17 13:44 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-08-16 14:53 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-08-16 02:11 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-08-15 01:27 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-08-13 21:57 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-08-12 13:48 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-08-11 13:38 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-08-09 13:44 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-08-08 16:33 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-08-07 16:24 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-08-06 13:43 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-08-05 19:14 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-08-04 17:27 UTCOSV refresh
- 2026-08-04 15:06 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-08-04 10:34 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-08-03 10:33 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-08-02 02:24 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
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- 2026-07-30 16:25 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-07-30 01:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
- 2026-07-28 15:33 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 7.8% · 94th percentile
Related CVEs(same product + same vendor + same CWE)
Same product
10 shownDebian:12:node-tar
Same vendor
10 shownredhat:RHSA-2021:3280 · redhat:RHSA-2021:3638
- CVE-2021-32804EG 8.2EPSS p97HIGH
- CVE-2021-22930EG 9.8EPSS p98CRITICAL
- CVE-2021-22931EG 9.8EPSS p98CRITICAL
- CVE-2021-22940EG 7.5EPSS p97HIGH
- CVE-2021-3672EG 5.6MEDIUM
- CVE-2021-22939EG 5.3EPSS p97MEDIUM
- CVE-2021-23343EG 5.3MEDIUM
- CVE-2020-7788EG 9.8EPSS p90CRITICAL
- CVE-2021-22918NVD 5.3EG 8.2EPSS p98HIGH
- CVE-2021-27290EG 7.5EPSS p92HIGH
Frequently asked(5)
What is CVE-2021-32803?
When was the CVE record for CVE-2021-32803 published?
Is CVE-2021-32803 actively exploited?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-32803?
How do I remediate CVE-2021-32803?
Dependency Blast Radius
See which npm, PyPI, Go, and Maven packages are affected by CVE-2021-32803
Is Your Infrastructure Affected by CVE-2021-32803?
EchelonGraph automatically scans your cloud infrastructure and maps CVE exposure using blast radius analysis.