Medium

Out-of-bounds Read in libarchive bsdtar stream processing

IdentifiersCVE-2025-5918CWE-125· Out-of-bounds Read

CVE-2025-5918 is a vulnerability in the libarchive library affecting bsdtar when processing file streams piped into it. According to the provided content, the flaw can be triggered when streamed input is supplied to bsdtar, causing the program to read past the end of the file or input buffer. This is an out-of-bounds read condition in libarchive’s archive-processing path for piped streams. The resulting invalid memory access can produce unpredictable behavior and, as noted in the supporting content, may also manifest as memory corruption or application instability.

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ANALYST BRIEF

Impact, mitigation & remediation

What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.

Impact

What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.

Successful exploitation can cause denial of service through process crashes or abnormal termination while bsdtar processes crafted streamed input. Because the flaw involves reading beyond the end of the file/input, it may also lead to unpredictable program behavior and unintended memory exposure from adjacent memory regions. The supplied content also notes possible memory corruption effects, so impact may extend beyond a simple crash depending on runtime conditions and the affected build/environment.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

Until patches are applied, avoid passing untrusted or attacker-controlled piped file streams into bsdtar/libarchive-based workflows. Restrict exposure of automated archive-processing pipelines, especially services or scripts that accept streamed archive content from remote or low-trust sources. Where possible, validate input sources, isolate archive processing in sandboxes or constrained containers, and use process supervision/resource limits to reduce denial-of-service impact from crashes.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Update libarchive to a vendor-fixed version once available from the operating system or upstream package maintainer. For Apple platforms, apply the relevant security updates that include the libarchive fix, as the provided content states Apple addressed CVE-2025-5918 in its affected products. If libarchive is bundled in an application or appliance, rebuild or redeploy against the patched library version.

PUBLIC EXPLOITS

Exploits

No public exploits tracked yet. Mallory keeps watching.

VALID 0 / 0 TOTALView more in app

No public exploit code observed for this vulnerability.

EXPOSURE SURFACE

Affected products & vendors

Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.

VendorProductType

LibarchiveLibarchiveapplication

Red HatEnterprise Linuxoperating_system

Red HatOpenshift Container Platformapplication

Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.

ACTIVITY FEED

Recent activity

5 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.

5 SOURCESView more in app

cisecurity blog msisca and eiisacNews

Dec 15, 2025

Multiple Vulnerabilities in Apple Products Could Allow for Arbitrary Code Execution

A vulnerability in Apple products where processing a file may lead to memory corruption.

cyber security newsNews

Dec 13, 2025

Apple 0-Day Vulnerabilities Exploited in Sophisticated Attacks Targeting iPhone Users

A vulnerability in libarchive, details unspecified in the content.

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Exposure mapping

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Threat actor evidence

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Associated malware

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Detection signatures

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Vendor-by-vendor mapping

Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.

Social activity3