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CVE-2026-9538

HIGHCVSS 7.5/10EPSS 0.44%

Last modified

CVE-2026-9538 is a high-severity vulnerability rated 7.5/10 on the CVSS scale. Archive::Tar versions before 3.10 for Perl allow memory exhaustion via attacker controlled entry size field in tar header. _read_tar() reads each entry's payload with $handle->read($$data, $block), where $block is derived from the entry's 12-byte size field in the tar header with no upper bound on that value. A crafted header declaring a multi-gigabyte size causes Perl to allocate a scalar of that size.. EPSS estimates a 0.44% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

Archive::Tar versions before 3.10 for Perl allow memory exhaustion via attacker controlled entry size field in tar header. _read_tar() reads each entry's payload with $handle->read($$data, $block), where $block is derived from the entry's 12-byte size field in the tar header with no upper bound on that value. A crafted header declaring a multi-gigabyte size causes Perl to allocate a scalar of that size.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1
7.5/10

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

EPSS Probability
0.44%

34.9th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

VendorProductVersionsUpdate
Archive\\< 3.10Archive\

References

Timeline

Published
Last Modified
Status
Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-9538?
Archive::Tar versions before 3.10 for Perl allow memory exhaustion via attacker controlled entry size field in tar header. _read_tar() reads each entry's payload with $handle->read($$data, $block), where $block is derived from the entry's 12-byte size field in the tar header with no upper bound on that value. A crafted header declaring a multi-gigabyte size causes Perl to allocate a scalar of that size.
How severe is CVE-2026-9538?
CVE-2026-9538 has a CVSS score of 7.5/10 (HIGH severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.44% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How do I fix CVE-2026-9538?
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-2026-9538?

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Source: NVD / NIST