dbcve.org
Path TraversalWeakness · CWE-22

CVE-2026-53486

CRITICAL · 9.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-07-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click 5 weeks old

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 · unedited
The decompress package for Node.js extracts archives. Prior to 10.2.1 and 11.1.3, archive extraction can create files and links outside the target directory. When extracting an archive to a directory, a crafted archive can read or write files outside that directory because hardlink and symlink entries are created without checking where targets point, path containment used a string prefix comparison, and file modes failed to remove setuid, setgid, or sticky bits. This issue is fixed in @xhmikosr/decompress versions 10.2.1 and 11.1.3.

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 confidence

The @xhmikosr/decompress Node.js package prior to versions 10.2.1 and 11.1.3 contains a path traversal vulnerability where archive extraction can create files and hardlinks/symlinks outside the intended target directory. The fix addresses inadequate path containment checks using string prefix comparison and ensures proper removal of setuid, setgid, and sticky bits from file modes.

MitigationUpgrade @xhmikosr/decompress to version 10.2.1 or 11.1.3 or later to remediate this vulnerability. Additionally, validate that extracted archives come from trusted sources and consider running extraction in sandboxed environments.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

CVSS 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
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Find installed version of @xhmikosr/decompress
    Run 'npm list @xhmikosr/decompress' in your project directory, or inspect your package.json dependencies for the @xhmikosr/decompress entry and its version number
    Affected if The version shown is lower than 10.2.1 or 11.1.3 (for example 10.0.0, 11.0.0, 9.x.x)
  2. Confirm the package is in use
    Search your codebase for statements that import or require @xhmikosr/decompress, and verify it is being called with .extract() or similar methods to unpack archive files
    Affected if The package is imported and its extraction methods are invoked at runtime
  3. Check if archives from untrusted sources are processed
    Review your code that calls decompress.extract() and trace the origin of the archive files being passed to it; determine whether any archives come from user uploads, external URLs, or other untrusted sources
    Affected if Archive files originate from untrusted or user-controlled sources (such as uploads, external URLs, or data from unauthenticated endpoints)
  4. Verify path containment is not enforced
    If you have access to the source, examine whether the decompress call includes path validation or sandboxing that prevents extraction outside the target directory; inspect the extraction code for any custom path traversal guards
    Affected if No additional path containment logic exists beyond what the library provides, and the library version is affected

You are affected if you have @xhmikosr/decompress version below 10.2.1 or 11.1.3 AND use it to extract archives, especially those from untrusted sources, without additional path containment safeguards.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade @xhmikosr/decompress to version 10.2.1 or 11.1.3 or later to remediate this vulnerability. Additionally, validate that extracted archives come from trusted sources and consider running extraction in sandboxed environments.

Recommended fix High confidence

@xhmikosr/decompress version 10.2.1 or 11.1.3 (or latest)

  1. Check the current version of @xhmikosr/decompress in your project (package.json or package-lock.json)
  2. Run 'npm install @xhmikosr/[email protected]' or 'npm install @xhmikosr/[email protected]' to install the fixed version, or simply 'npm install @xhmikosr/decompress@latest' to get the latest stable release which includes the fix
  3. Verify the installation was successful by checking the installed version with 'npm list @xhmikosr/decompress'
  4. Re-run any tests or security scans to confirm the vulnerability is resolved
Caveat Review the changelog between your current version and the fixed version for any breaking changes in API or behavior

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,920
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-53486 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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