CVE-2026-54574
`proot-distro install` has a Symlink Escape (Arbitrary Host File Write) via Malicious Tar Archive
- 8.2HighCVSS base score
- 0.21%Exploitation in 30 daysEPSS · top 88% of all CVEs
- NoKnown exploitednot in CISA's KEV catalog
- YesPublic exploitsa reference or SSVC says so
Description
proot-distro is a utility for managing proot containers. Prior to version 5.1.5, proot-distro install extracted plain tarball root filesystems through _extract_plain_tar() in proot_distro/commands/install.py and Docker layers through _apply_layer() in proot_distro/helpers/docker.py without validating archive-controlled symlink targets in member.linkname, allowing a malicious archive to plant an absolute host-path symlink and write files through it onto the host filesystem. This issue is fixed in version 5.1.5.
Public exploit
An exploit or proof of concept is public: anyone can try it against an unpatched system. A reference of the record is tagged as an exploit. CISA's SSVC rates its exploitation: a proof of concept is public.
Show the exploits1
References tagged exploit1 reference
- https://github.com/termux/proot-distro/security/advisories/GHSA-9xq3-3fqg-4vg7 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_CONFIRMexploit
Timeline
ID reserved
By GitHub_M
- 44 days later
· 44 days later
Published
Changes after publication (a new score, a public exploit, EPSS crossing 1, 10 or 50 %, leaving KEV) are kept since November 2026; earlier ones are not known.
Scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub_MCNA (assigner) | 3.1 | High8.2 | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N |
| NVDNVD · Deferred | 3.1 | High8.2 | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N |
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 0.21% · top 88% of all CVEs (11 Nov 2026)
- CISA SSVC
- Exploitation: poc · Automatable: no · Technical impact: total
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: High 8.2.
Affected products
- affected < 5.1.5
Affected packages
From reviewed advisories of the GitHub Advisory Database.
- PyPIproot-distroGHSA-9xq3-3fqg-4vg7 (opens in a new tab)
References
References3
- https://github.com/termux/proot-distro/security/advisories/GHSA-9xq3-3fqg-4vg7 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_CONFIRMexploit
- https://github.com/termux/proot-distro/commit/a96d7a9667f38e45d812614852ee3915d1c0ae45 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/termux/proot-distro/releases/tag/v5.1.5 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISC
Sources
The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.
- CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
- CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
- NVD (opens in a new tab)
- FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
- EUVD EUVD-2026-50408 (opens in a new tab)
- OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
- GitHub Advisory GHSA-9xq3-3fqg-4vg7 (opens in a new tab)
- CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)
Badge for a README or a ticket
[](https://cveledger.app/cve/CVE-2026-54574)Record last updated .