CVE-2026-53655

A flaw was found in node-tar. This vulnerability arises because node-tar incorrectly applies PAX extended header size records to subsequent intermediary metadata headers, leading to a desynchronization of the tar stream cursor compared to other standard tar implementations. A remote attacker could exploit this by crafting a malicious archive, causing different interpretations of archive contents between node-tar and other tools. This could allow an attacker to hide malicious files or sensitive information from security scanners that rely on different tar parsing libraries, potentially leading to information disclosure or bypassing security controls.

This Moderate impact flaw in node-tar affects Red Hat products by allowing an attacker to craft malicious archives that are interpreted differently by node-tar compared to other standard tar implementations. This parsing inconsistency can enable file smuggling, where malicious content might be hidden from security scanning tools, potentially leading to information disclosure or bypassing security controls within affected systems.

The CVSS score(s) listed for this vulnerability do not reflect the associated product's status, and are included for informational purposes to better understand the severity of this vulnerability.

Mitigation for this issue is either not available or the currently available options do not meet the Red Hat Product Security criteria comprising ease of use and deployment, applicability to widespread installation base or stability.