CVE-2022-48303: Buffer Overflow

Published Apr 30, 2022
·
Updated

A flaw was found in the Tar package. When attempting to read files with old V7 tar format with a specially crafted checksum, an invalid memory read may occur. An attacker could possibly use this issue to expose sensitive information or cause a crash.

Other sources

A Heap Buffer Overflow issue takes place at fromheader() in list.c in the tar application. The issue occurs when attempting to read files with old V7 tar format with an especially crafted checksum. As a result, an invalid memory read that leads to a conditional jump or move operation on uninitialised memory values takes place.

Reference:

https://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?62387

GNU Tar is vulnerable to a heap-based buffer overflow, caused by an out-of-bounds read in the fromheader() function in list.c when processing of V7 archive files. By persuading a victim to open a specially-crafted V7 file using whitespace characters in the mtime parameter, a remote attacker could overflow a buffer and execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process.

IBM

GNU Tar through 1.34 has a one-byte out-of-bounds read that results in use of uninitialized memory for a conditional jump

Microsoft

Affected Software

10 affected componentsFixes available
redhat/tar<2:1.30-6.el8_7.1
2:1.30-6.el8_7.1
redhat/tar<2:1.30-5.el8_6.1
2:1.30-5.el8_6.1
redhat/tar<2:1.34-6.el9_1
2:1.34-6.el9_1
IBM Cloud Pak for Security<=1.10.0.0 - 1.10.11.0
IBM QRadar Suite Software<=1.10.12.0 - 1.10.16.0
GNU tar<=1.34
Fedoraproject Fedora=37
Fedoraproject Fedora=38
debian/tar
1.34+dfsg-1+deb11u11.34+dfsg-1.2+deb12u11.35+dfsg-3.1
Microsoft cbl2 tar 1.34-3

Remediation

Event History

Apr 30, 2022
CVE Published
12:00 AM
Nov 30, 2022
Data Sourced
05:20 PM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Jan 30, 2023
CVE Published
via MITRE·12:00 AM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·12:00 AM
Description
Nov 23, 2024
Data Sourced
via Microsoft·08:00 AM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
Data Sourced
via Microsoft·08:00 AM
Affected Software
Updated
via Microsoft·08:00 AM
DescriptionSeverity
Jul 30, 2025
Data Sourced
via Debian·12:13 AM
DescriptionAffected Software

Parent advisories

This vulnerability appears in the following advisories.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is CVE-2022-48303?

CVE-2022-48303 is a vulnerability in the Tar package that allows a remote attacker to cause a heap-based buffer overflow by persuading a victim to open a specially-crafted V7 file.

2

What is the severity of CVE-2022-48303?

CVE-2022-48303 has a severity score of 7.8 (high).

3

How does CVE-2022-48303 affect GNU Tar?

CVE-2022-48303 affects GNU Tar by causing a heap-based buffer overflow in the from_header() function in list.c when processing V7 archive files.

4

How can CVE-2022-48303 be fixed?

To fix CVE-2022-48303, it is recommended to update the affected GNU Tar package to version 2:1.30-6.el8_7.1 or higher.

5

Are there any references for CVE-2022-48303?

Yes, here are some references to learn more about CVE-2022-48303: - [GNU Savannah](https://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?62387) - [Red Hat Bugzilla](https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi/show_bug.cgi?id=2149724) - [GNU Savannah Patch](https://savannah.gnu.org/patch/?10307)

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