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CVE-2016-6321

Directory traversal vulnerability in the safer_name_suffix function in GNU tar 1.14 through 1.29...

7.5 HighFix available

Directory traversal vulnerability in the safer_name_suffix function in GNU tar 1.14 through 1.29 might allow remote attackers to bypass an intended protection mechanism and write to arbitrary files via vectors related to improper sanitization of the file_name parameter, aka POINTYFEATHER.

Attack profile

How easy it is to exploit

Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges needed
None
User interaction
None

What an attacker can affect

Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
None

Exploit likelihood

15.7%Up 13.6 points since Feb 4, 2022
90%50%10%1%

What each source reports

CVE List 7.5

Directory traversal vulnerability in the safer_name_suffix function in GNU tar 1.14 through 1.29 might allow remote attackers to bypass an intended protection mechanism and write to arbitrary files via vectors related to improper sanitization of the file_name parameter, aka POINTYFEATHER.

Record
CVE-2016-6321
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Weakness
CWE-22
Updated
2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2016-7248 7.5

Directory traversal vulnerability in the safer_name_suffix function in GNU tar 1.14 through 1.29 might allow remote attackers to bypass an intended protection mechanism and write to arbitrary files via vectors related to improper sanitization of the file_name parameter, aka POINTYFEATHER.

Record
EUVD-2016-7248
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Updated
2026-11-02
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-4qpm-74c6-fg44 7.5

Directory traversal vulnerability in the safer_name_suffix function in GNU tar 1.14 through 1.29...

Directory traversal vulnerability in the safer_name_suffix function in GNU tar 1.14 through 1.29 might allow remote attackers to bypass an intended protection mechanism and write to arbitrary files via vectors related to improper sanitization of the file_name parameter, aka POINTYFEATHER.

Record
GHSA-4qpm-74c6-fg44
CVSS 3.0
7.5 HighCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Weakness
CWE-22
Updated
2026-11-02
NVD 7.5

Directory traversal vulnerability in the safer_name_suffix function in GNU tar 1.14 through 1.29 might allow remote attackers to bypass an intended protection mechanism and write to arbitrary files via vectors related to improper sanitization of the file_name parameter, aka POINTYFEATHER.

Record
CVE-2016-6321
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
CVSS 3.0
7.5 HighCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
CVSS 2.0
5.0 MediumAV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N
Weakness
CWE-22
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVALPINE-CVE-2016-6321 7.5

Directory traversal vulnerability in the safer_name_suffix function in GNU tar 1.14 through 1.29 might allow remote attackers to bypass an intended protection mechanism and write to arbitrary files via vectors related to improper sanitization of the file_name parameter, aka POINTYFEATHER.

Record
ALPINE-CVE-2016-6321
CVSS 3.0
7.5 HighCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVBELL-CVE-2016-6321 7.5

CVE-2016-6321 does not affect BellSoft software

Record
BELL-CVE-2016-6321
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Updated
2026-11-02
Show 8 moreShow less
OSV 7.5

Directory traversal vulnerability in the safer_name_suffix function in GNU tar 1.14 through 1.29 might allow remote attackers to bypass an intended protection mechanism and write to arbitrary files via vectors related to improper sanitization of the file_name parameter, aka POINTYFEATHER.

Record
CVE-2016-6321
CVSS 3.0
7.5 HighCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2016-6321 7.5

Directory traversal vulnerability in the safer_name_suffix function in GNU tar 1.14 through 1.29 might allow remote attackers to bypass an intended protection mechanism and write to arbitrary files via vectors related to improper sanitization of the file_name parameter, aka POINTYFEATHER.

Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2016-6321
CVSS 3.0
7.5 HighCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2016-6321 7.5

Directory traversal vulnerability in the safer_name_suffix function in GNU tar 1.14 through 1.29 might allow remote attackers to bypass an intended protection mechanism and write to arbitrary files via vectors related to improper sanitization of the file_name parameter, aka POINTYFEATHER.

Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2016-6321
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
CVSS 3.0
7.5 HighCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVMGASA-2016-0386 No score

Updated tar packages fix security vulnerability

Harry Sintonen discovered that GNU tar does not properly handle member names containing '..', thus allowing an attacker to bypass the path names specified on the command line and replace files and directories in the target directory (CVE-2016-6321).

Record
MGASA-2016-0386
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVopenSUSE-SU-2024:10382-1 No score

tar-1.29-2.1 on GA media

These are all security issues fixed in the tar-1.29-2.1 package on the GA media of openSUSE Tumbleweed.

Record
openSUSE-SU-2024:10382-1
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVSUSE-SU-2016:2895-1 No score

Security update for tar

This update for tar fixes the following issues:

  • Fix the POINTYFEATHER vulnerability - GNU tar archiver can be tricked into extracting files and directories in the given destination, regardless of the path name(s) specified on the command line [bsc#1007188] [CVE-2016-6321]
Record
SUSE-SU-2016:2895-1
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVSUSE-SU-2016:2896-1 No score

Security update for tar

This update for tar fixes the following issues:

  • Fix the POINTYFEATHER vulnerability - GNU tar archiver can be tricked into extracting files and directories in the given destination, regardless of the path name(s) specified on the command line [bsc#1007188] [CVE-2016-6321]
  • Fix Amanda integration issue (bsc#913058)
Record
SUSE-SU-2016:2896-1
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVUSN-3132-1 No score

tar vulnerability

Harry Sintonen discovered that tar incorrectly handled extracting files when path names are specified on the command line. If a user or automated system were tricked into processing a specially crafted archive, an attacker could possibly overwrite arbitrary files.

Record
USN-3132-1
Updated
2026-11-02

Affected products

Affected packages

Affected packages
PackageAffectedFixed
tar
Alpine:v3.10
 before 1.29-r1
1.29-r1
tar
Alpine:v3.11
 before 1.29-r1
1.29-r1
tar
Alpine:v3.12
 before 1.29-r1
1.29-r1
tar
Alpine:v3.13
 before 1.29-r1
1.29-r1
tar
Alpine:v3.14
 before 1.29-r1
1.29-r1
tar
Alpine:v3.15
 before 1.29-r1
1.29-r1
tar
Alpine:v3.16
 before 1.29-r1
1.29-r1
tar
Alpine:v3.17
 before 1.29-r1
1.29-r1
tar
Alpine:v3.18
 before 1.29-r1
1.29-r1
tar
Alpine:v3.19
 before 1.29-r1
1.29-r1
Show 29 moreShow less
Affected packages
PackageAffectedFixed
tar
Alpine:v3.20
 before 1.29-r1
1.29-r1
tar
Alpine:v3.21
 before 1.29-r1
1.29-r1
tar
Alpine:v3.22
 before 1.29-r1
1.29-r1
tar
Alpine:v3.23
 before 1.29-r1
1.29-r1
tar
Alpine:v3.24
 before 1.29-r1
1.29-r1
tar
Alpine:v3.4
 before 1.29-r1
1.29-r1
tar
Alpine:v3.5
 before 1.29-r1
1.29-r1
tar
Alpine:v3.6
 before 1.29-r1
1.29-r1
tar
Alpine:v3.7
 before 1.29-r1
1.29-r1
tar
Alpine:v3.8
 before 1.29-r1
1.29-r1
tar
Alpine:v3.9
 before 1.29-r1
1.29-r1
tar
Debian:12
 before 1.29b-1.1
1.29b-1.1
tar
Debian:13
 before 1.29b-1.1
1.29b-1.1
tar
Debian:14
 before 1.29b-1.1
1.29b-1.1
tar
Debian:7
 before 1.26+dfsg-0.1+deb7u1, plus listed versions
1.26+dfsg-0.1
1.26+dfsg-0.1+deb7u1
tar
Debian:8
 before 1.27.1-2+deb8u1, plus listed versions
1.27.1-2
1.27.1-2+deb8u1
tar
Mageia:5
 before 1.28-3.1.mga5
1.28-3.1.mga5
tar
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4
 before 1.26-1.2.10.1
1.26-1.2.10.1
tar
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 11 SP4
 before 1.26-1.2.10.1
1.26-1.2.10.1
tar
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 SP1
 before 1.27.1-11.1
1.27.1-11.1
tar
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 SP2
 before 1.27.1-11.1
1.27.1-11.1
tar
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for Raspberry Pi 12 SP2
 before 1.27.1-11.1
1.27.1-11.1
tar
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP1
 before 1.27.1-11.1
1.27.1-11.1
tar
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP1
 before 1.27.1-11.1
1.27.1-11.1
tar
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP2
 before 1.27.1-11.1
1.27.1-11.1
tar
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP2
 before 1.27.1-11.1
1.27.1-11.1
tar
Ubuntu:14.04:LTS
 before 1.27.1-1ubuntu0.1, plus listed versions
1.26+dfsg-81.27-31.27-41.27.1-1
1.27.1-1ubuntu0.1
tar
Ubuntu:16.04:LTS
 before 1.28-2.1ubuntu0.1, plus listed versions
1.27.1-21.28-2ubuntu11.28-2.1
1.28-2.1ubuntu0.1
tar
openSUSE:Tumbleweed
 before 1.29-2.1
1.29-2.1

History

History
RecordedChangedSources
first indexedCVE List, EUVD, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV

Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.

In short

CVE-2016-6321 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.5) in Gnu Tar, published October 28, 2016. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 15.7%, the 96th percentile. Fixed in tar 1.29-r1.

References

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