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Zip Slip is a path traversal flaw in archive extraction: a crafted archive can name a file with a path such as ../../outside.txt, and unsafe extraction code may write it outside the folder the user selected. The immediate risk is an unintended file creation or overwrite. Code execution is possible if the overwritten file is later run or loaded, but it is not automatic. The key issue is whether the extractor verifies that each resolved file path remains inside the intended extraction folder.

How can a ZIP file write outside its extraction folder?

An archive contains member names as well as file data. An extractor typically combines a member name with the destination folder to decide where to write the file. If it accepts an attacker-controlled name such as ../../outside.txt without checking the final resolved path, the parent-directory components can direct the write outside the destination. Snyk’s Zip Slip research describes a vulnerable Java pattern that joins the destination and entry name, then writes the entry without validating containment.

Two conditions are needed: a malicious archive must reach an extraction operation, and that operation must handle member paths unsafely. Merely receiving or storing an archive does not establish that an application is vulnerable. The flaw is in extraction path handling.

What can the vulnerability do?

The direct consequence is an unintended file write or overwrite outside the extraction folder. The impact depends on which path can be reached and what the affected system does with that file. Replacing an executable or a configuration file that a process later uses may lead to code execution; other outcomes can include damage to data or system configuration. Snyk characterizes remote command execution as a typical possible result, not a guaranteed result of every unsafe extraction.

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The affected system could be a server or a user’s computer. An attacker also needs a route to get the archive processed; the vulnerability does not mean that simply opening or receiving any ZIP file automatically runs code.

Is Zip Slip limited to ZIP files or one library?

No. The name refers to a path traversal pattern in archive extraction, not a defect confined to a single ZIP package. Snyk’s June 5, 2018 public disclosure described the issue across formats including tar, jar, war, cpio, apk, rar, and 7z, and implementations in several programming-language ecosystems. That disclosure establishes historical breadth; it is not a current audit of every archive library or version.

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There is no universal package status implied by the vulnerability name. Snyk’s repository records affected and fixed versions reported around the 2018 disclosures. For a real application, check the exact dependency and version against current vendor advisories, and review the application’s own extraction code: application code can reproduce the same unsafe path-joining pattern independently of a library defect.

How should developers prevent Zip Slip?

  1. Resolve and contain each member path. Resolve the member name against the intended extraction root, then reject it if the resolved location falls outside that root. Do not depend on raw string concatenation or a simple textual check for ..: absolute paths and platform-specific separators also matter. MITRE describes this class of weakness as failing to neutralize pathname elements that allow a path intended as a child to resolve elsewhere (CWE-22).
  2. Use a maintained API, but verify its behavior. Check the specific extraction API and runtime version documentation. The presence of an extraction helper does not itself establish that it safely constrains paths.
  3. Review links and filesystem behavior. Make containment checks account for how the platform resolves paths, including links and link-following behavior, rather than considering only the visible member name.
  4. Limit extraction privileges. Run extraction with only the filesystem permissions it needs, and isolate it where the threat model justifies it. Sandboxing can reduce the reach of a successful write, but MITRE notes that its effectiveness depends on the sandbox and may only limit impact.
  5. Review both dependencies and application logic. Check relevant advisories for the exact deployed component and inspect the code path that extracts files; updating a library does not repair a separate unsafe implementation in application code.

What should Python users know?

Python’s version-specific documentation matters because its APIs do not all place the same responsibility on the caller. The Python 3.14.8 zipfile documentation says ZipFile.extract() and extractall() attempt to prevent path traversal by stripping absolute path prefixes and removing .. components. It still warns against extracting untrusted archives without prior inspection.

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The separate zipfile.Path abstraction does not sanitize archive member names. Its caller must validate paths; the documentation suggests resolving paths and checking them against the intended root. Snyk’s 2018 analysis reported Python’s standard zipfile extraction as not vulnerable in that analysis and noted a then-vulnerable tarfile case. That historical finding is not a blanket guarantee for every Python version, API, or application. Check the documentation for the runtime and API actually in use, and inspect any custom extraction logic.

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How to assess an extractor

When reviewing an implementation or choosing an extraction API, check these points rather than assuming every library handles paths the same way:

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  • Does it validate the resolved destination for every member against the extraction root?
  • What does it do with absolute paths, traversal segments, platform-specific separators, and links?
  • Which exact library or runtime version is deployed, and do current advisories identify it as affected?
  • What filesystem permissions does the extraction process have, and can it be isolated from sensitive paths?

These checks help assess an implementation; the cited sources do not establish a universally safest product or rank extractors.

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