heap overflow OOB read while parsing a tar archive contains a PAX extended header

Summary

A flaw was found in libarchive. This vulnerability allows a remote attacker to trigger a heap overflow by providing a specially crafted tar archive. The issue occurs during the parsing of a PAX extended header containing a malformed SUN.holesdata sparse-file attribute. Successful exploitation could lead to a denial of service, making the system unavailable, or potentially allow for arbitrary code execution, giving the attacker control over the affected system. Red Hat severity: Low — CVSS 3.9 (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:L). Affected Red Hat products: Red Hat Hardened Images; Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10; Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6; Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7; Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9. Under investigation: Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4. Will not fix / out of support: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6; Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7. Red Hat fixing advisory: RHSA-2026:38279.