CVE-2026-24846 MEDIUM

CVE-2026-24846: malcontent's archive extraction could write outside extraction directory

Vendor Chainguard-Dev
Product malcontent
Weakness CWE-22 · Path traversal
Published January 29, 2026
Last update January 29, 2026

CVSS base score

5.5/10
Attack vector Local
Attack complexity Low
Privileges required None
User interaction Required
Confidentiality None
Integrity High

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N

What the vulnerability does

01Description

malcontent discovers supply-chain compromises through. context, differential analysis, and YARA. Starting in version 1.8.0 and prior to version 1.20.3, malcontent could be made to create symlinks outside the intended extraction directory when scanning a specially crafted tar or deb archive. The `handleSymlink` function received arguments in the wrong order, causing the symlink target to be used as the symlink location. Additionally, symlink targets were not validated to ensure they resolved within the extraction directory. Version 1.20.3 introduces fixes that swap handleSymlink arguments, validate symlink location, and validate symlink targets that resolve within an extraction directory.

Key dates

02Disclosure timeline

January 29, 2026 CVE published
January 29, 2026 Record updated