tar: null-pointer dereference in pax_decode_header in sparse.c
Published Mar 22, 2019
7.5
HIGHCVSS 3.1
EPSS 3.03%
Description
pax_decode_header in sparse.c in GNU Tar before 1.32 had a NULL pointer dereference when parsing certain archives that have malformed extended headers.
Affected products
No data.
No data.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
tar
Not affected
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
tar
Will not fix
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
tar
Fix deferred
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
tar
Fix deferred
| Product | Package | State | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 | tar | Not affected | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | tar | Will not fix | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | tar | Fix deferred | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | tar | Fix deferred | n/a |
No package ranges for this CVE.
Remediation
Red Hat statement
This issue is classified with a low severity primarily because untrusted tar files are not typically extracted with the root user, limiting the impact of this issue. Additionally, this NULL pointer dereference is only triggered during the parsing of a specially crafted file, requiring an attacker to convince a user to process this file with tar. Furthermore, tar does not handle privileged operations, meaning that exploitation is unlikely to lead to system compromise or escalation of privileges. Also, the impact is limited to the application itself, without affecting the broader system or network security.
Metrics
No CVSS v4.0 score for this CVE.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
1 other source (Red Hat) ▾
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P
This CVE is not in the KEV list.
CISA SSVC (Vulnrichment)
Stakeholder-Specific Vulnerability Categorization from CISA ADP.
Exploitation
PoCAutomatable
YesTechnical Impact
PartialDecision
n/aAssessed Aug 6, 2025 · SSVC 2.0.3
Estimated probability of exploitation in the wild in the next 30 days (FIRST EPSS). As of Oct 2, 2026.
Score over time
2021–2026- EPSS v1
- EPSS v2
- EPSS v3
- EPSS v4
- EPSS v5
Percentile over time
- EPSS v1
- EPSS v2
- EPSS v3
- EPSS v4
- EPSS v5
Table of values (21 key points)
Flat stretches are collapsed; showing up to 120 newest points.
| Date | Score | Percentile | Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2, 2026 | 3.03% (0.03028) | 87.03th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Jun 15, 2026 | 3.05% (0.03053) | 85.81th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Nov 21, 2025 | 0.35% (0.00350) | 56.83th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Nov 18, 2025 | 1.77% (0.01770) | 81.17th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Mar 30, 2025 | 0.47% (0.00466) | 61.55th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Mar 29, 2025 | 1.99% (0.01991) | 72.78th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Mar 17, 2025 | 0.47% (0.00466) | 62.37th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Dec 17, 2024 | 2.05% (0.02046) | 88.67th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Mar 15, 2024 | 1.09% (0.01086) | 83.97th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Jul 16, 2023 | 0.77% (0.00767) | 78.88th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Mar 7, 2023 | 0.78% (0.00778) | 78.59th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Mar 6, 2023 | 1.11% (0.01108) | 55.18th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Sep 17, 2022 | 1.11% (0.01108) | 53.57th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Apr 1, 2022 | 1.11% (0.01108) | 51.54th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Feb 4, 2022 | 8.93% (0.08934) | 82.99th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Feb 3, 2022 | 6.21% (0.06208) | 81.93th | v1 |
| Jan 6, 2022 | 6.21% (0.06208) | 81.75th | v1 |
| Sep 1, 2021 | 1.45% (0.01454) | 71.88th | v1 |
| Jun 30, 2021 | 1.45% (0.01454) | 0.00th | v1 |
| Jun 29, 2021 | 1.25% (0.01247) | 0.00th | v1 |
| Apr 14, 2021 | 1.04% (0.01040) | 0.00th | v1 |
References (10)
- http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/tar.git/commit/?id=cb07844454d8cc9fb21f53ace75975f91185a120 x_refsource_MISCMailing ListPatchVendor Advisory
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-04/msg00077.html vendor-advisoryx_refsource_SUSEMailing ListThird Party Advisory
- http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?55369 x_refsource_MISCPermissions RequiredThird Party Advisory
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2019-9923 Vendor Advisory
- https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/tar/+bug/1810241 x_refsource_MISCIssue TrackingPatchThird Party Advisory
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1691764 Issue Tracking
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r58af02e294bd07f487e2c64ffc0a29b837db5600e33b6e698b9d696b%40%3Cissues.bookkeeper.apache.org%3E mailing-listx_refsource_MLIST
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rf4c02775860db415b4955778a131c2795223f61cb8c6a450893651e4%40%3Cissues.bookkeeper.apache.org%3E mailing-listx_refsource_MLIST
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-9923
- https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-9923
Change history (0)
No recorded changes yet.