CVE-2026-5223

Name: CVE-2026-5223
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2026-05-25T10:16:15.48+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

MEDIUMCVSS 6.5/10EPSS 0.29%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2026-5223 is a medium-severity vulnerability rated 6.5/10 on the CVSS scale. Cargo incorrectly handled symlinks inside of crate tarballs downloaded from third-party registries, allowing a malicious crate to override the source code of another crate from the same registry. The severity of the vulnerability is **medium** for users of third-party registries. Users of crates.io are **not affected**, as crates.io forbids uploading crates containing any symlink.. EPSS estimates a 0.29% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

Cargo incorrectly handled symlinks inside of crate tarballs downloaded from third-party registries, allowing a malicious crate to override the source code of another crate from the same registry. The severity of the vulnerability is **medium** for users of third-party registries. Users of crates.io are **not affected**, as crates.io forbids uploading crates containing any symlink.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

5.3/10

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

CVSS 4.0

6.5/10

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:N/VI:L/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

EPSS Probability

0.29%

21.1th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-61

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Rust-Lang	Cargo	< 1.96.0

References

https://blog.rust-lang.org/2026/05/25/cve-2026-5223/Mitigation, Vendor Advisory
https://github.com/rust-lang/cargo/pull/17031Issue Tracking, Patch
https://groups.google.com/g/rustlang-security-announcements/c/IB74S7Yksg8Mailing List, Third Party Advisory

Timeline

Published: May 25, 2026
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Analyzed

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-5223?

How severe is CVE-2026-5223?

CVE-2026-5223 has a CVSS score of 6.5/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.29% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2026-5223?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2026-5223?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST