Unbounded memory allocation in Go archive/tar old GNU sparse map parsing
CVE-2026-32288 affects Go's standard library archive/tar package. The vulnerability is in tar.Reader when parsing a maliciously crafted tar archive containing a large number of sparse regions encoded using the legacy "old GNU sparse map" format. Due to insufficient limits during sparse map parsing, tar.Reader can allocate an unbounded amount of memory while processing attacker-controlled sparse metadata. The issue is triggered during archive parsing rather than normal file extraction semantics, and specifically involves old-format GNU sparse map extension handling.
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Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.
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