CVE-2026-9538

Archive::Tar versions before 3.10 for Perl allow memory exhaustion via attacker controlled entry size field in tar header

HIGH
7.5
CVSS Score
Published: May 26, 2026 at 12:18 AM UTC
Updated: July 23, 2026 at 07:32 PM UTC
2 products affected across 2 vendorsArchive::tarArchive::Tar

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Severity
HIGH7.5
Exploit prediction
EPSS 0.5%
SSVC
No known exploit

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.

Affected

Our own answer: ranges merged, affected separated from platform-only, with confidence and review flags.

v < 3.10
Affected range stops below 3.10, so it looks safe — our inference, not a vendor statement

Remediation

No guide yet

No remediation guidance has been written for this CVE yet. What the record does show:

References (3)

SSVC — Action Prioritization

SSVCNo known exploitAutomatablePartial impact

SSVC signals action urgency (what to patch first), separate from CVSS which measures severity.

CVSS

7.5HIGHCISA-ADP
Attack Vector
NETWORK
Complexity
LOW
Privileges
NONE
User Interaction
NONE
Scope
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality
NONE
Integrity
HIGH
Availability
NONE
Vector?

Quick Info

StatusMODIFIED
CWE
CWE-789

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