CVE-2026-5223: Cargo incorrectly handled symlinks inside of crate tarballs downloaded from third-party registries, allowing a

Q: How do I fix CVE-2026-5223?

cargo: upgrade to 1.96.0. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Q: Is CVE-2026-5223 being exploited?

CVE-2026-5223 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

Q: What does CVE-2026-5223 affect?

CVE-2026-5223 affects cargo. Severity is medium (CVSS 5.3). Cargo incorrectly handled symlinks inside of crate tarballs downloaded from third-party registries, allowing a malicious crate to override the source code of another crate from the same registry. The severity of the vulnerability is **mediu

Q: How urgent is CVE-2026-5223?

Priority 29/100. Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

Routine

MEDIUM 5.3REMOTEUPGRADE

CVE-2026-5223 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 5.3) affecting cargo. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

Cargo incorrectly handled symlinks inside of crate tarballs downloaded from third-party registries, allowing a malicious crate to override the source code of another crate from the same registry. The severity of the vulnerability is **medium** for users of third-party registries. Users of crates.io are **not affected**, as crates.io forbids uploading crates containing any symlink.

Why this priority

Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

A fixed release or distro patch exists.

Risk facts

CVSS score	5.3 (Medium)
Attack vector	Network (remote)
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	None
User interaction	None
EPSS exploit chance	0.3% (top 78%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-61
Published	2026-05-25
Last modified	2026-07-23

Publisher (CNA): rust · Vendor: rust-lang

Last updated 2026-07-23 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2026-05-25 10:16 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-07-23 17:10 UTCUpdated Record last modified

rust-lang cargo UPGRADE

Affected: < 1.96.0

Fixed in: 1.96.0

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy cargo || rpm -q cargo || cargo --version

2. UPGRADE to 1.96.0 (Debian / Ubuntu)

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade cargo

2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

sudo dnf upgrade cargo

Note

Distros often backport fixes without changing the version number. Confirm with the distro advisory or changelog.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2026-5223?

cargo: upgrade to 1.96.0. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2026-5223 being exploited?

CVE-2026-5223 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2026-5223 affect?

CVE-2026-5223 affects cargo. Severity is medium (CVSS 5.3). Cargo incorrectly handled symlinks inside of crate tarballs downloaded from third-party registries, allowing a malicious crate to override the source code of another crate from the same registry. The severity of the vulnerability is **mediu

How urgent is CVE-2026-5223?

Priority 29/100. Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

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References

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