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GNU tar can run out of memory when reading corrupt archives
GO-2026-4869
CVE-2026-32288
Summary
A malicious archive can cause GNU tar to consume excessive memory, potentially crashing or freezing the system. This issue affects systems that use GNU tar to extract archives. To mitigate this risk, update to a patched version of GNU tar or ensure that users are not allowed to extract untrusted archives.
What to do
- Update stdlib to version 1.26.2.
Affected software
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fix available |
|---|---|---|---|
| – | stdlib | > 1.26.0-0 , <= 1.26.2 | 1.26.2 |
Original title
tar.Reader can allocate an unbounded amount of memory when reading a maliciously-crafted archive containing a large number of sparse regions encoded in the "old GNU sparse map" format.
Original description
tar.Reader can allocate an unbounded amount of memory when reading a maliciously-crafted archive containing a large number of sparse regions encoded in the "old GNU sparse map" format.
Published: 8 Apr 2026 · Updated: 9 Apr 2026 · First seen: 8 Apr 2026