GHSA-vmf3-w455-68vh node-tar applies PAX size override to intermediary GNU long-name/long-link headers, causing tar parser interpretation differential (file smuggling)
Summary`tar` (node-tar) applies a PAX extended header's `size=` record (and other PAX
overrides) to the **next header entry of any type**, including intermediary
metadata headers such as a GNU long-name (`L`) or long-link (`K`) entry. Per
POSIX pax, a PAX extended header (`x`) describes the *next file entry*, not the
intermediary extension headers that may sit between the `x` header and the file
it annotates. Because node-tar lets the PAX `size` override the byte length of
an intervening `L`/`K`/`x` header, an attacker can desynchronize node-tar's
stream cursor relative to every other mainstream tar implementation
(GNU tar, libarchive/bsdtar, Python `tarfile`, and the now-fixed `tar-rs` /
`astral-tokio-tar`).The result is a tar parser **interpretation differential** (CWE-436): a single
crafted archive yields a different set of members under node-tar than under the
reference tar tools. An attacker can use this to hide a member from one parser
while it is visible to another, which defeats security tooling whose scanner and
extractor disagree on archive contents (e.g. a malware/secret scanner that lists
entries with one library while a downstream step extracts with another). node-tar
is one of the most widely deployed JavaScript tar libraries (it backs `npm`'s own
package-tarball handling and is a transitive dependency of a very large fraction
of the npm ecosystem), so the blast radius for "files that extract differently
depending on the tool" is broad.This is the same root cause and fix that was just addressed upstream in the Rust
tar ecosystem (`tar-rs` / `astral-tokio-tar`); node-tar carries the equivalent
defect and has no equivalent guard.ImpactCWE-436 Interpretation Conflict / inconsistent tar parsing (the same class as
the prior tar "smuggling" advisories GHSA-j5gw-2vrg-8fgx and
GHSA-fp55-jw48-c537).A crafted archive can present one logical member list to a tool that lists or
scans with node-tar and a different member list to GNU tar / libarchive /
Python tarfile (and vice versa). This lets a malicious file be hidden from a
scanner that uses a different parser than the eventual extractor, or hidden
from node-tar-based inspection while still landing on disk via a system `tar`.No authentication is required; the only precondition is that a victim parses
an attacker-supplied tar with node-tar. Tar archives are routinely fetched
from untrusted sources (package registries, user uploads, CI artifacts,
container layers).Severity: Medium. Impact is integrity-of-archive-interpretation, not direct
RCE; it is a building block for supply-chain / scanner-evasion attacks rather
than a standalone code-execution primitive.Vulnerable code (file:line)`src/header.ts` (compiled to `dist/esm/header.js:49` and
`dist/commonjs/header.js:85` in the published `tar@7.5.15`):`ex` is the currently-accumulated PAX **local** extended header and `gex` the
PAX **global** header. The `size` override from `ex`/`gex` is applied
unconditionally to whatever header is being decoded next — there is no check
that the header being decoded is a real *file* entry rather than an intermediary
extension header.`src/parse.ts`, `[CONSUMEHEADER]` constructs the next header with the current
`EX`/`GEX` applied:and later branches on whether that header is a metadata entry. `this[EX]` is
cleared only in the non-meta (real file) branch:When the stream is ordered `x (PAX, size=N) -> L (GNU long-name) -> file`, the
`L` header is constructed with `this[EX]` still set, so its `size`/`remain`
becomes `N` instead of the `L` payload's true length. node-tar then consumes `N`
bytes of "metadata" and resumes header parsing at the wrong offset, landing
mid-stream. Every other mainstream parser applies the PAX `size` only to the
following *file* entry, so they stay synchronized.The correct behavior (and the fix shipped upstream in the Rust tar ecosystem) is
to **not** apply PAX `size`/overrides when the entry being decoded is itself an
extension header (`L` GNU long-name, `K` GNU long-link, `x` PAX local, `g` PAX
global).How input reaches the sink`tar.list()`, `tar.extract()`/`tar.x()`, and `tar.Parse`/`tar.Unpack` all route
every 512-byte header block through `Header.decode(...)` with the
currently-accumulated `EX`/`GEX`. Any consumer that parses an attacker-supplied
archive — `tar.list`, `tar.extract`, or piping into the streaming `Parser` —
reaches the sink. No options need to be enabled; the default code path is
affected.Proof of conceptArchive layout (all standard, GNU-tar-producible blocks):Generator (`make_tar.py`, pure stdlib, no external deps):A negative-control archive is identical except the PAX record is
`pax_record('comment', 'x')` (no `size=`), written to `pax-control.tar`.End-to-end reproduction (against pinned version `tar@7.5.15`, latest release)Install the published package into a clean project and parse both archives:`e2e.mjs`:Verbatim output:Reference parsers on the **same** `pax-desync.tar`:Interpretation differential: GNU tar, libarchive (bsdtar), and Python `tarfile`
all extract the member `longname.txt` from `pax-desync.tar`, whereas node-tar
`7.5.15` desynchronizes, raises `TAR_ENTRY_INVALID` (checksum failure from
landing mid-stream), and reports **zero** members. The negative control proves
the divergence is caused solely by the PAX `size=` override being applied to the
intermediary `L` header — when the same archive carries a PAX record without
`size=`, node-tar parses it identically to the reference tools
(`longname.txt`, `file_b`).Suggested fixWhen decoding a header, do not apply PAX `size` (or other PAX overrides) if the
header being decoded is itself an extension header. Concretely, in
`src/parse.ts` clear/ignore `this[EX]` (and `this[GEX]` for `size`) when the
header's type is `ExtendedHeader`, `GlobalExtendedHeader`, `NextFileHasLongPath`
(GNU `L`), or `NextFileHasLongLinkpath` (GNU `K`); equivalently, in
`Header.decode`, gate the `ex?.size ?? gex?.size` override on the decoded type
not being one of those extension types. This mirrors the upstream Rust fix,
which guards `pax_size` with
`is_gnu_longname || is_gnu_longlink || is_pax_local_extensions || is_pax_global_extensions`.A fix PR is being prepared against a private fork and will be linked here.Fix PRTo be linked from a private fork of the repository (the fix will not be pushed
to any public fork or to upstream during embargo).CreditsReported by tonghuaroot.
CVSS v4.0 score: 6.9