Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This flaw affects the npm tar package on Windows. If a vulnerable application extracts a malicious archive, files can be written outside the intended folder, potentially leading to code execution. The issue is fixed in later 4.x, 5.x, and 6.x releases; version 3 is deprecated and unpatched.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation where Windows systems extract user-controlled or third-party archives. This is a high-severity supply-chain library flaw with a clear upgrade path and no reliable workaround identified in the source bundle.
Technical view
node-tar’s Windows path sanitization mishandled relative paths containing a different drive letter and missed certain parent-directory patterns after the drive letter. That could bypass extraction-directory containment checks. Affected ranges are before 4.4.18, 5.0.0 through 5.0.9, and 6.0.0 through 6.1.8.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to Windows systems or build/runtime workflows using vulnerable node-tar to extract archives. Risk is higher where archives are user-supplied, third-party, or processed automatically. The provided sources state this only affects Windows users of node-tar.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation evidence. Exploitation requires a malicious archive to be extracted by vulnerable node-tar on Windows. CVSS marks user interaction required and no privileges required, with high confidentiality and integrity impact.
Researcher notes
Focus validation on dependency resolution and Windows extraction paths. Do not assume Linux or macOS exposure from the provided sources. The advisory states users should upgrade rather than attempt custom path sanitization.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade node-tar to 4.4.18, 5.0.10, 6.1.9, or later.
- Move any node-tar v3 usage to a supported patched major version.
- Avoid processing untrusted tar archives on Windows until patched.
- Check vendor guidance for bundled or transitive node-tar usage.
Validation and detection
- Inventory package manifests and lockfiles for node-tar versions.
- Check transitive dependencies that may bundle node-tar.
- Confirm affected workflows run on Windows and extract tar archives.
- Verify deployed artifacts use patched node-tar versions.
- Review vendor advisories for third-party products using node-tar.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-22: File access and web shell behavior lookup
File traversal and upload weaknesses can lead teams to review file, web shell, execution, and collection telemetry. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupExecution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupFile access behavior lookup
The CVE wording references file access or upload behavior, so file telemetry and web shell review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-37713 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 8.2 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N1.85.8Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
8.2HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.npmjs.com/package/tarCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/npm/node-tar/security/advisories/GHSA-5955-9wpr-37jhCVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2021.htmlCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-389290.pdfCVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.
