CVE-2026-53486

CRITICALPre-NVD 9.19.1
EchelonGraph scoreLOW confidence

This critical-severity CVE scores 9.1 under the CNA's CVSS (NVD's own analysis pending). EPSS exploit-prediction score not yet available (the EPSS model rescores nightly; freshly-published CVEs typically appear within 48 hours). GitHub Security Advisory data not yet ingested — confidence will rise once GHSA publishes (typical lag: hours to days for open-source ecosystem CVEs; never for infrastructure-only CVEs).

Triggered by: NVD CVSS baseline
Sources: cna:github_m
9.1
EchelonGraph verdictPlan a fixSerious severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet.
  • High severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet
CISA-KEV: Not listedEPSS: —CVSS: 9.1Exploit: NoneExposed: 0

No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.

Decompress: Archive extraction can create files and links outside of the target directory

Impact

When extracting an archive to a directory, a crafted archive can read or write files outside that directory. The flaw is in the code that writes the parsed entries, so it affects every format decompress handles: tar, tar.gz, tar.bz2, and zip by default, plus any others added through the plugins option.

A link (hardlink) or symlink entry is created without checking where its target points. A hardlink can be aimed at any file the running process can read; that file then appears inside the output directory and its contents are exposed. A symlink can point outside the output directory and redirect a later write.

The path containment check used a string prefix comparison (realPath.indexOf(outputPath) !== 0). Output /srv/out does not contain /srv/out-old, but the prefix comparison treats it as inside, so an entry can escape into a sibling directory whose name starts with the output directory name.

File modes were applied as mode & ~umask, which does not remove the setuid, setgid, or sticky bits. A crafted entry can create a setuid or setgid file. This matters when extraction runs as root, for example in CI, containers, or install scripts.

Any code that extracts archives from an untrusted or attacker-influenced source is affected. Archives are commonly downloaded before extraction, so this is reachable over the network in many setups.

Patches

Fixed in @xhmikosr/decompress 10.2.1 and 11.1.3. Link targets are now resolved and checked against the output directory, containment uses path.relative, and setuid, setgid, and sticky bits are removed.

The upstream decompress package is unmaintained, and all versions through its last release (4.2.1) have the same flaws. There is no upstream fix. Migrate to @xhmikosr/decompress 11.1.3 or later.

Workarounds

Extract only archives you trust. Run extraction as a non-root user so the mode issue cannot create a privileged file. After extracting, reject any symlink or hardlink that points outside the target and any file with unexpected mode bits.

Resources

* Related prior issue in the upstream project this package forks: CVE-2020-12265 / GHSA-qgfr-5hqp-vrw9 * Fix commits and releases: * https://github.com/XhmikosR/decompress/releases/tag/v10.2.1 * https://github.com/XhmikosR/decompress/releases/tag/v11.1.3 * https://github.com/XhmikosR/decompress/commit/aca5aac * https://github.com/XhmikosR/decompress/commit/281cefa * https://github.com/XhmikosR/decompress/commit/60b5299

CVSS v3
9.1
EG Score
9.1(low)
EPSS
—
KEV
Not listed

Published

July 6, 2026

Last Modified

July 6, 2026

Vendor Advisories for CVE-2026-53486(1)

These vendors published their own advisory mentioning this CVE — often with vendor-specific remediation steps + affected product lists not in NVD.

Data Freshness Timeline

(refreshed 3× in last 7d / 3× in last 30d)

Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. 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. Most recent first.

  1. 2026-07-07 04:59 UTCEG score recompute
  2. 2026-07-07 00:47 UTCEG score recompute
  3. 2026-07-06 20:37 UTCEG score recompute

Frequently asked(4)

What is CVE-2026-53486?
CVE-2026-53486 is a critical vulnerability published on July 6, 2026. Decompress: Archive extraction can create files and links outside of the target directory Impact When extracting an archive to a directory, a crafted archive can read or write files outside that directory. The flaw is in the code that writes the parsed entries, so it affects every format decompress…
When was CVE-2026-53486 disclosed?
CVE-2026-53486 was first published in the National Vulnerability Database on July 6, 2026. EchelonGraph re-ingests CVE updates from NVD on a 2-hour cycle, so this page reflects the latest published state.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-53486?
CVE-2026-53486 has a CVSS v4.0 base score of 9.1 (CNA self-assessment; NVD's own analysis pending). The EG score is currently aggregating — additional source signals are being incorporated as they become available..
How do I remediate CVE-2026-53486?
Patch to the fixed version published by the affected vendor. Where vendor advisories exist for CVE-2026-53486, EchelonGraph cross-links them in the Vendor Advisories panel below — those typically contain the canonical remediation steps, fixed version numbers, and any vendor-specific mitigations.

Dependency Blast Radius

Explore the affected products and dependency analysis for CVE-2026-53486

Explore →

Is Your Infrastructure Affected by CVE-2026-53486?

EchelonGraph automatically scans your cloud infrastructure and maps CVE exposure using blast radius analysis.

Start Free Scan →Browse All CVEs