---
id: CVE-2022-26652
aliases:
  - GHSA-6h3m-36w8-hv68
  - BIT-nats-2022-26652
  - GO-2022-0351
title: Arbitrary file write in nats-server
summary: Arbitrary file write in nats-server
severity: medium
cvss: 6.5
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N'
vendor: nats-io
product: github.com/nats-io/nats-server/v2
ecosystem: go
affected:
  - 'github.com/nats-io/nats-server/v2 >= 2.2.0, < 2.7.4'
  - 'github.com/nats-io/nats-streaming-server >= 0.15.0, < 0.24.3'
patched:
  - github.com/nats-io/nats-server/v2 2.7.4
  - github.com/nats-io/nats-streaming-server 0.24.3
published: '2022-03-10'
updated: '2026-07-08'
source: OSV
sourceUrl: 'https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-6h3m-36w8-hv68'
references:
  - url: >-
      https://github.com/nats-io/nats-server/security/advisories/GHSA-6h3m-36w8-hv68
  - url: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-26652'
  - url: 'https://github.com/nats-io/nats-server/pull/2917'
  - url: 'https://advisories.nats.io/CVE/CVE-2022-26652.txt'
  - url: 'https://github.com/nats-io/nats-server'
  - url: 'https://github.com/nats-io/nats-server/releases'
  - url: 'https://github.com/nats-io/nats-server/releases/tag/v2.7.4'
  - url: 'https://github.com/nats-io/nats-streaming-server/releases/tag/v0.24.3'
  - url: 'http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2022/03/10/1'
tags:
  - osv
  - go
epss: 0.02342
epssPercentile: 0.82898
ingestedAt: '2026-07-09T18:56:35.995Z'
---

## Overview

(This document is canonically: <https://advisories.nats.io/CVE/CVE-2022-26652.txt>)

## Background

NATS.io is a high performance open source pub-sub distributed communication technology, built for the cloud, on-premise, IoT, and edge computing.

JetStream is the optional RAFT-based resilient persistent feature of NATS.


## Problem Description

The JetStream streams can be backed up and restored via NATS. The backup format is a tar archive file.  Inadequate checks on the filenames within the archive file permit a so-called "Zip Slip" attack in the stream restore.

NATS nats-server through 2022-03-09 (fixed in release 2.7.4) did not correctly sanitize elements of the archive file, thus a user of NATS
could cause the NATS server to write arbitrary content to an attacker-controlled filename.


## Affected versions

NATS Server:
 * 2.2.0 up to and including 2.7.3.
   + Introduced with JetStream Restore functionality
 * Fixed with nats-io/nats-server: 2.7.4
 * Docker image:  nats <https://hub.docker.com/_/nats>
 * NB users of OS package files from our releases: a change in goreleaser defaults, discovered late in the release process, moved the install directory from /usr/local/bin to /usr/bin; we are evaluating the correct solution for subsequent releases, but not recutting this release.

NATS Streaming Server
 * 0.15.0 up to and including 0.24.2
 * Fixed with nats-io/nats-streaming-server: 0.24.3
 * Embeds a nats-server, but this server is the old approach which JetStream replaces, so unlikely (but not impossible) to be
   configured with JS support


## Workarounds

 * Disable JetStream for untrusted users.
 * If only one NATS account uses JetStream, such that cross-user attacks are not an issue, and any user in that account with access to the JetStream API is fully trusted anyway, then appropriate sandboxing techniques will prevent exploit.
   + Eg, with systemd, the supplied util/nats-server-hardened.service example configuration demonstrates that NATS runs fine as an unprivileged user under ProtectSystem=strict and PrivateTmp=true restrictions; by only opening a ReadWritePaths hole for the JetStream storage area, the impact of this vulnerability is limited.


## Solution

Upgrade the NATS server to at least 2.7.4.

We fully support the util/nats-server-hardened.service configuration for running a NATS server and encourage this approach.


## Credits

This issue was reported (on 2022-03-07) to the NATS Maintainers by
Yiming Xiang, TIANJI LAB of NSFOCUS.  
Thank you / 谢谢你！


## Affected packages

- `github.com/nats-io/nats-server/v2 >= 2.2.0, < 2.7.4`
- `github.com/nats-io/nats-streaming-server >= 0.15.0, < 0.24.3`

## Remediation

Upgrade to a patched release:

- `github.com/nats-io/nats-server/v2 2.7.4`
- `github.com/nats-io/nats-streaming-server 0.24.3`