# CVE-2026-124745: BusyBox tar hardlink resolution path traversal

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-124745-a-flaw-was-found-in-busybox-when-extracting-an-archive-the-tar  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-11-11. Updated: 2026-11-11  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-124745 · Severity: medium · CVSS 6.3 · Published 2026-11-11

BusyBox is a lightweight Unix utility suite often used in embedded systems and minimal environments. The tar extraction utility in BusyBox has a flaw where it can be tricked into writing files outside the intended extraction directory when processing specially crafted archives with hardlinks and symbolic links. An attacker who controls an archive could use this to overwrite critical system files, potentially compromising system integrity or security.

Technologies: [BusyBox](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/x-busybox).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-124745 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-124745 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-124745?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 6.3, published 11 November 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** BusyBox.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-124745?** No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

**How is CVE-2026-124745 attacked?** It is attacked with local access, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-124745?** Check whether you run BusyBox. 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.

## Technical details

The vulnerability is a path traversal flaw (CWE-59) in BusyBox's tar utility that improperly resolves deferred hardlink targets when they point across symbolic links. An attacker can craft a malicious archive that, when extracted, resolves hardlink targets to files outside the intended extraction tree, allowing arbitrary file overwrite. The attack requires local access and user interaction to extract the archive, and the impact is high for integrity.

## Affected products

- BusyBox

## Timeline

- 2026-11-11: disclosed

## References

- [https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/](https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/)
- [https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-124745](https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-124745)

## Related threats

- [BusyBox integer overflow in volume_id](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-124746-a-flaw-was-found-in-busybox-an-integer-overflow-occurs-in-the)
- [BusyBox cpio hardlink path traversal vulnerability](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-124744-a-flaw-was-found-in-busybox-when-extracting-files-using-the-cpio)
- [BusyBox divide-by-zero in HFS+ filesystem parsing](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-124743-a-flaw-was-found-in-busybox-when-processing-filesystem-metadata)
- [BusyBox udhcpc6 use-after-free in DHCPv6 client](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-124740-a-flaw-was-found-in-busybox-s-udhcpc6-dhcpv6-client-a-malicious)
- [BusyBox httpd authentication bypass via pre-compressed files](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-124738-a-flaw-was-found-in-busybox-when-the-http-daemon-httpd-has-pre)