CVE-2025-3445: Github.com/mholt/archiver Path Traversal Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-7vpp-9cxj-q8gv
CVSS 8.1
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2025-3445 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.1) path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Github.com/mholt/archiver libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves mholt/archiver vulnerable to path traversal via crafted zip file. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2025-3445 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2025-3445
GHSA Identifier GHSA-7vpp-9cxj-q8gv
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.1
CWE Classification CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Affected Product Github.com/mholt/archiver
Package Ecosystem Go
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.1

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:H/A:L).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Changed (S:C)
Confidentiality Low (C:L)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability Low (A:L)

How to Fix CVE-2025-3445

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Github.com/mholt/archiver dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

github.com/mholt/archiver fixed: Latest secure release
Upgrade github.com/mholt/archiver to Latest secure release
github.com/mholt/archiver/v3 fixed: Latest secure release
Upgrade github.com/mholt/archiver/v3 to Latest secure release
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:

inspect dependencies for github.com/mholt/archiver

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2025-3445, inspect your project dependencies for Github.com/mholt/archiver:

inspect dependencies for github.com/mholt/archiver

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Github.com/mholt/archiver in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal'), where the product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory. In Github.com/mholt/archiver, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

A Path Traversal "Zip Slip" vulnerability has been identified in mholt/archiver in Go. This vulnerability allows using a crafted ZIP file containing path traversal symlinks to create or overwrite files with the user's privileges or application utilizing the library. When using the archiver.Unarchive functionality with ZIP files, like this: archiver.Unarchive(zipFile, outputDir),  A crafted ZIP file can be extracted in such a way that it writes files to the affected system with the same privileges as the application executing this vulnerable functionality. Consequently, sensitive files may be overwritten, potentially leading to privilege escalation, code execution, and other severe outcomes in some cases. It's worth noting that a similar vulnerability was found in TAR files (CVE-2024-0406). Although a fix was implemented, it hasn't been officially released, and the affected project has since been deprecated. The successor to mholt/archiver is a new project called mholt/archives, and its initial release (v0.1.0) removes the Unarchive() functionality.

CVE-2025-3445 Affected Github.com/mholt/archiver Versions

2 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
github.com/mholt/archiver
Go
≤ 3.5.1
github.com/mholt/archiver/v3
Go
≤ 3.5.1

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-3445?
CVE-2025-3445 is a security vulnerability in Github.com/mholt/archiver involving mholt/archiver Vulnerable to Path Traversal via Crafted ZIP File under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which Github.com/mholt/archiver versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: github.com/mholt/archiver, github.com/mholt/archiver/v3.
What version fixes CVE-2025-3445?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is github.com/mholt/archiver affected?
Yes, github.com/mholt/archiver is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
Is github.com/mholt/archiver/v3 affected?
Yes, github.com/mholt/archiver/v3 is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2025-3445?
CVE-2025-3445 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:H/A:L.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2025-3445?
CVE-2025-3445 is classified under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') (The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.).
How can I check Go dependencies for CVE-2025-3445?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for github.com/mholt/archiver'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-7vpp-9cxj-q8gv",
  "modified" : "2025-04-14T17:55:15Z",
  "published" : "2025-04-14T00:30:35Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2025-3445" ],
  "summary" : "mholt/archiver Vulnerable to Path Traversal via Crafted ZIP File",
  "details" : "A Path Traversal \"Zip Slip\" vulnerability has been identified in mholt/archiver in Go. This vulnerability allows using a crafted ZIP file containing path traversal symlinks to create or overwrite files with the user's privileges or application utilizing the library.\n\nWhen using the archiver.Unarchive functionality with ZIP files, like this: archiver.Unarchive(zipFile, outputDir),  A crafted ZIP file can be extracted in such a way that it writes files to the affected system with the same privileges as the application executing this vulnerable functionality. Consequently, sensitive files may be overwritten, potentially leading to privilege escalation, code execution, and other severe outcomes in some cases.\n\nIt's worth noting that a similar vulnerability was found in TAR files (CVE-2024-0406). Although a fix was implemented, it hasn't been officially released, and the affected project has since been deprecated. The successor to mholt/archiver is a new project called mholt/archives, and its initial release (v0.1.0) removes the Unarchive() functionality.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:H/A:L"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "github.com/mholt/archiver"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "3.5.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "github.com/mholt/archiver/v3"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "3.5.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-3445"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mholt/archiver/issues/267"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mholt/archiver/commit/fea250ac6eacd56f90a82fbe2481cfdbb9a1bbd1"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mholt/archiver"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2025-04-14T17:55:15Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2025-04-13T22:15:12Z"
  }
}