CVE-2006-0931
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedDirectory traversal vulnerability in PEAR::Archive_Tar 1.2, and other versions before 1.3.2, allows remote attackers to create and overwrite arbitrary files via certain crafted pathnames in a TAR archive.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidencePEAR::Archive_Tar before 1.3.2 contains a directory traversal vulnerability that allows attackers to overwrite arbitrary files on the filesystem by embedding path traversal sequences (e.g., '../') in filenames within a crafted TAR archive. When the archive is extracted, the vulnerable code does not sanitize archive member paths, enabling arbitrary file creation or overwrite outside the intended extraction directory.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data<= 1.2<= 1.3.0<= 1.3.1CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Locate the installed Archive_Tar.php fileSearch for the Archive_Tar.php file in your PHP include paths or project directories. Common locations include the PEAR directory (e.g., /usr/share/pear/Archive/Tar.php) or a vendor directory. Run: find / -name 'Tar.php' -path '*Archive*' 2>/dev/null to locate it.Affected if The file exists and the version comment/header shows 1.2, 1.3.0, or 1.3.1 or lower
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Check the version number in the source fileOpen the found Archive_Tar.php file and look at the version string in the header comments or class definition. Search for lines containing '@version' or '$version' or 'version' followed by a number.Affected if The version is 1.2, 1.3.0, or 1.3.1 (or any version <= 1.3.1)
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Identify if untrusted TAR extraction is performedSearch your application code for calls to Archive_Tar::extract() or extractModify() methods that process TAR files from untrusted sources. Search for patterns like: $tar->extract(), $tar->extractModify(), Archive_Tar::extract().Affected if Your code calls extract() or extractModify() on TAR archives that originate from user input, uploads, or external sources
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Verify the path validation is absent in the extraction methodIn the found Archive_Tar.php file, locate the extract() or extractModify() method. Look for path sanitization logic that checks for '../' sequences or rejects absolute paths. The vulnerable versions lack this check.Affected if The extract method contains no validation rejecting '../' path traversal sequences or absolute paths
You are affected if your environment has PEAR::Archive_Tar version 1.3.1 or earlier AND your application extracts TAR archives from untrusted sources using the vulnerable extraction methods.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataUpgrade PEAR::Archive_Tar to version 1.3.2 or later, which includes proper path validation to prevent directory traversal. If upgrade is not possible, implement path sanitization that rejects archive members containing '..' or absolute paths before extraction.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2006-0931 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2006-0931 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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