CVE-2021-39208
WriteEntryToDirectory used for an archive extraction is vulnerable to partial path traversal.
SharpCompress is a fully managed C# library to deal with many compression types and formats. Versions prior to 0.29.0 are vulnerable to partial path traversal. SharpCompress recreates a hierarchy of directories under destinationDirectory if ExtractFullPath is set to true in options. In order to prevent extraction outside the destination directory the destinationFileName path is verified to begin with fullDestinationDirectoryPath. However, prior to version 0.29.0, it is not enforced that fullDestinationDirectoryPath ends with slash. If the destinationDirectory is not slash terminated like /home/user/dir it is possible to create a file with a name thats begins as the destination directory one level up from the directory, i.e. /home/user/dir.sh. Because of the file name and destination directory constraints the arbitrary file creation impact is limited and depends on the use case. This issue is fixed in SharpCompress version 0.29.0.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- Low
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
4.3
WriteEntryToDirectory used for an archive extraction is vulnerable to partial path traversal.
SharpCompress is a fully managed C# library to deal with many compression types and formats. Versions prior to 0.29.0 are vulnerable to partial path traversal. SharpCompress recreates a hierarchy of directories under destinationDirectory if ExtractFullPath is set to true in options. In order to prevent extraction outside the destination directory the destinationFileName path is verified to begin with fullDestinationDirectoryPath. However, prior to version 0.29.0, it is not enforced that fullDestinationDirectoryPath ends with slash. If the destinationDirectory is not slash terminated like /home/user/dir it is possible to create a file with a name thats begins as the destination directory one level up from the directory, i.e. /home/user/dir.sh. Because of the file name and destination directory constraints the arbitrary file creation impact is limited and depends on the use case. This issue is fixed in SharpCompress version 0.29.0.
- Record
CVE-2021-39208- CVSS 3.1
- 4.3 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-22
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2021-2087
4.3
SharpCompress is a fully managed C# library to deal with many compression types and formats. Versions prior to 0.29.0 are vulnerable to partial path traversal. SharpCompress recreates a hierarchy of directories under destinationDirectory if ExtractFullPath is set to true in options. In order to prevent extraction outside the destination directory the destinationFileName path is verified to begin with fullDestinationDirectoryPath. However, prior to version 0.29.0, it is not enforced that fullDestinationDirectoryPath ends with slash. If the destinationDirectory is not slash terminated like /home/user/dir it is possible to create a file with a name thats begins as the destination directory one level up from the directory, i.e. /home/user/dir.sh. Because of the file name and destination directory constraints the arbitrary file creation impact is limited and depends on the use case. This issue is fixed in SharpCompress version 0.29.0.
- Record
EUVD-2021-2087- CVSS 3.1
- 4.3 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-jp7f-grcv-6mjf
5.3
Partial path traversal in sharpcompress
SharpCompress recreates a hierarchy of directories under destinationDirectory if ExtractFullPath is set to true in options. In order to prevent extraction outside the destination directory the destinationFileName path is verified to begin with fullDestinationDirectoryPath. However it is not enforced that fullDestinationDirectoryPath ends with slash:
public static void WriteEntryToDirectory(IEntry entry,
string destinationDirectory,
ExtractionOptions? options,
Action<string, ExtractionOptions?> write)
{
string destinationFileName;
string file = Path.GetFileName(entry.Key);
string fullDestinationDirectoryPath = Path.GetFullPath(destinationDirectory);
...
throw new ExtractionException("Entry is trying to write a file outside of the destination directory.");
}
If the destinationDirectory is not slash terminated like /home/user/dir it is possible to create a file with a name thats begins as the destination directory one level up from the directory, i.e. /home/user/dir.sh.
Impact
Because of the file name and destination directory constraints the arbitrary file creation impact is limited and depends on the use case.
- Record
GHSA-jp7f-grcv-6mjf- CVSS 4.0
- 5.3 Medium
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - CVSS 3.1
- 4.3 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-22
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
4.3
SharpCompress is a fully managed C# library to deal with many compression types and formats. Versions prior to 0.29.0 are vulnerable to partial path traversal. SharpCompress recreates a hierarchy of directories under destinationDirectory if ExtractFullPath is set to true in options. In order to prevent extraction outside the destination directory the destinationFileName path is verified to begin with fullDestinationDirectoryPath. However, prior to version 0.29.0, it is not enforced that fullDestinationDirectoryPath ends with slash. If the destinationDirectory is not slash terminated like /home/user/dir it is possible to create a file with a name thats begins as the destination directory one level up from the directory, i.e. /home/user/dir.sh. Because of the file name and destination directory constraints the arbitrary file creation impact is limited and depends on the use case. This issue is fixed in SharpCompress version 0.29.0.
- Record
CVE-2021-39208- CVSS 3.1
- 4.3 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N - CVSS 2.0
- 4.0 Medium
AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:N/I:P/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-22
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
4.3
SharpCompress is a fully managed C# library to deal with many compression types and formats. Versions prior to 0.29.0 are vulnerable to partial path traversal. SharpCompress recreates a hierarchy of directories under destinationDirectory if ExtractFullPath is set to true in options. In order to prevent extraction outside the destination directory the destinationFileName path is verified to begin with fullDestinationDirectoryPath. However, prior to version 0.29.0, it is not enforced that fullDestinationDirectoryPath ends with slash. If the destinationDirectory is not slash terminated like /home/user/dir it is possible to create a file with a name thats begins as the destination directory one level up from the directory, i.e. /home/user/dir.sh. Because of the file name and destination directory constraints the arbitrary file creation impact is limited and depends on the use case. This issue is fixed in SharpCompress version 0.29.0.
- Record
CVE-2021-39208- CVSS 3.1
- 4.3 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVGHSA-jp7f-grcv-6mjf
5.3
Partial path traversal in sharpcompress
SharpCompress recreates a hierarchy of directories under destinationDirectory if ExtractFullPath is set to true in options. In order to prevent extraction outside the destination directory the destinationFileName path is verified to begin with fullDestinationDirectoryPath. However it is not enforced that fullDestinationDirectoryPath ends with slash:
public static void WriteEntryToDirectory(IEntry entry,
string destinationDirectory,
ExtractionOptions? options,
Action<string, ExtractionOptions?> write)
{
string destinationFileName;
string file = Path.GetFileName(entry.Key);
string fullDestinationDirectoryPath = Path.GetFullPath(destinationDirectory);
...
throw new ExtractionException("Entry is trying to write a file outside of the destination directory.");
}
If the destinationDirectory is not slash terminated like /home/user/dir it is possible to create a file with a name thats begins as the destination directory one level up from the directory, i.e. /home/user/dir.sh.
Impact
Because of the file name and destination directory constraints the arbitrary file creation impact is limited and depends on the use case.
- Record
GHSA-jp7f-grcv-6mjf- CVSS 4.0
- 5.3 Medium
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - CVSS 3.1
- 4.3 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-22
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
sharpcompressNuGet |
before 0.29 | 0.29 |
SharpCompressNuGet |
before 0.29, plus listed versions 0.10.00.10.10.10.1.10.10.1.30.10.2 Show 45 moreShow less0.10.30.11.00.11.10.11.20.11.30.11.40.11.50.11.60.12.00.12.10.12.20.12.30.12.40.13.00.13.10.14.00.14.10.15.00.15.10.15.20.16.00.16.10.16.20.17.00.17.10.18.00.18.10.18.20.19.00.19.10.19.20.2.00.20.00.21.00.21.10.22.00.23.00.24.00.25.00.25.10.26.00.27.00.27.10.28.00.28.1 |
0.29 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| aliases | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2021-39208 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 4.3) in Adamhathcock Sharpcompress, published September 16, 2021. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 1.19%, the 68th percentile. Fixed in sharpcompress 0.29.
References
github.com/adamhathcock/sharpcompress/security/advisories/GHSA-jp7f-grcv-6mjf
github.com/adamhathcock/sharpcompress/pull/614
github.com/adamhathcock/sharpcompress/releases/tag/0.29.0
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-39208
github.com/adamhathcock/sharpcompress/commit/ea5c8dc06314c7a5068e7901c51a625224d2b288
github.com/advisories/GHSA-jp7f-grcv-6mjf
github.com/adamhathcock/sharpcompress
Left out here: 11 versions. The JSON record has them.