High severityNVD Advisory· Published Jul 29, 2026· Updated Jul 29, 2026
`proot-distro install` has a Symlink Escape (Arbitrary Host File Write) via Malicious Tar Archive
CVE-2026-54574
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.
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Affected packages
Versions sourced from the GitHub Security Advisory.
| Package | Affected versions | Patched versions |
|---|---|---|
proot-distroPyPI | < 5.1.5 | 5.1.5 |
Affected products
1- Range: <5.1.5
Patches
Vulnerability mechanics
References
4- github.com/advisories/GHSA-9xq3-3fqg-4vg7ghsaADVISORY
- github.com/termux/proot-distro/commit/a96d7a9667f38e45d812614852ee3915d1c0ae45ghsax_refsource_MISCWEB
- github.com/termux/proot-distro/releases/tag/v5.1.5ghsax_refsource_MISCWEB
- github.com/termux/proot-distro/security/advisories/GHSA-9xq3-3fqg-4vg7ghsax_refsource_CONFIRMWEB
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