# CVE-2026-115908: zip symlink escape vulnerability in extract

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-115908-zip-is-a-zip-library-for-rust-that-supports-reading-and-writing  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-10-26. Updated: 2026-10-26  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-115908 · Severity: high · CVSS 7.4 · Published 2026-10-26

The zip library for Rust, used to read and write ZIP files, contains a vulnerability in its file extraction functionality that allows malicious ZIP archives to write files outside their intended destination directory. An attacker can craft a ZIP file with a chain of symbolic links that trick the extraction process into writing attacker-controlled files with the privileges of the extracting process, bypassing containment checks. On Windows systems with symlink privileges, this can occur with a single symbolic link.

Technologies: [zip (crates.io)](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/zip), [Zip-Rs Zip](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/zip-rs-zip). Vendors: [crates.io](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/crates-io), [Zip-Rs](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/zip-rs).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-115908 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-115908 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-115908?** High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.4, published 26 October 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** zip (crates.io) >= 7.2.0, < 9.0.0, SEMVER:introduced=7.2.0,fixed=9.0.0; Zip-Rs Zip 7.2.0 until 9.0.0.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-115908?** Yes. zip (crates.io): upgrade to 9.0.0 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-115908 attacked?** It is attacked over the network.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-115908?** Check whether you run zip (crates.io) or Zip-Rs Zip at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## How to fix

- zip (crates.io): upgrade to 9.0.0 or later

  ```sh
  cargo update -p zip
  ```


## Technical details

ZipArchive::extract and related functions used lexical path comparison via safe_prepare_path and simplified_components to validate symbolic link targets, rather than actually resolving intermediate symlinks. An attacker can create a symlink chain where an intermediate link escapes the destination while the apparent target appears to remain within it. On Windows, discarded drive and UNC prefixes allow single-link escapes when the process has SeCreateSymbolicLinkPrivilege. The fix implements resolution-based containment checking that walks paths one component at a time and re-validates intermediate symlinks.

## Affected products

- zip-rs zip 7.2.0 until 9.0.0

## Identifiers

- CVE-2026-115908
- GHSA-hjqx-j4rw-g7xv

## Timeline

- 2026-10-26: disclosed
- 2026-10-09: patched: Fixed in version 9.0.0 released October 9, 2026

## References

- [https://github.com/zip-rs/zip2/commit/09c030eab56e8db8fb3c1c33f554407b30bad8fa](https://github.com/zip-rs/zip2/commit/09c030eab56e8db8fb3c1c33f554407b30bad8fa)
- [https://github.com/zip-rs/zip2/releases/tag/v9.0.0](https://github.com/zip-rs/zip2/releases/tag/v9.0.0)

## Related threats

- [zip Rust library denial of service in symlink extraction](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-115909-zip-is-a-zip-library-for-rust-that-supports-reading-and-writing)
- [zip library capacity overflow in legacy decoders](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-115907-zip-is-a-zip-library-for-rust-that-supports-reading-and-writing)
- [zip library authentication bypass in AES entry reader](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-115906-zip-is-a-zip-library-for-rust-that-supports-reading-and-writing)
- [zip library path traversal via Central Directory mismatch](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-115905-zip-is-a-zip-library-for-rust-that-supports-reading-and-writing)
- [RUSTSEC-2026-0369 - ZipStreamReader::extract() and ZipArchive::extract() apply Unix permissions through symlinks…](https://junglewise.ai/threats/rustsec-2026-0369-zipstreamreader-extract-and-ziparchive-extract-apply-427bba66)