diff --git a/peru/resources/plugins/curl/curl_plugin.py b/peru/resources/plugins/curl/curl_plugin.py
index 65ea3cd8..668428d2 100755
--- a/peru/resources/plugins/curl/curl_plugin.py
+++ b/peru/resources/plugins/curl/curl_plugin.py
@@ -126,13 +126,17 @@ def plugin_sync(url, sha1):
 
 def extract_tar(archive_path, dest):
     with tarfile.open(archive_path) as t:
-        validate_filenames(info.path for info in t.getmembers())
+        for info in t.getmembers():
+            validate_filename(info.path)
+            if info.issym():
+                validate_symlink(info.path, info.linkname)
         t.extractall(dest)
 
 
 def extract_zip(archive_path, dest):
     with zipfile.ZipFile(archive_path) as z:
-        validate_filenames(z.namelist())
+        for name in z.namelist():
+            validate_filename(name)
         z.extractall(dest)
         # Set file permissions. Tar does this by default, but with zip we need
         # to do it ourselves.
@@ -153,11 +157,30 @@ def extract_zip(archive_path, dest):
                     os.chmod(os.path.join(dest, info.filename), 0o755)
 
 
-def validate_filenames(names):
-    for name in names:
-        path = pathlib.PurePosixPath(name)
-        if path.is_absolute() or '..' in path.parts:
-            raise EvilArchiveError('Illegal path in archive: ' + name)
+def validate_filename(name):
+    path = pathlib.PurePosixPath(name)
+    if path.is_absolute() or ".." in path.parts:
+        raise EvilArchiveError("Illegal path in archive: " + name)
+
+
+def validate_symlink(name, target):
+    # We might do this twice but that's fine.
+    validate_filename(name)
+
+    allowed_parent_parts = len(pathlib.PurePosixPath(name).parts) - 1
+
+    target_path = pathlib.PurePosixPath(target)
+    if target_path.is_absolute():
+        raise EvilArchiveError("Illegal symlink target in archive: " + target)
+    leading_parent_parts = 0
+    for part in target_path.parts:
+        if part != "..":
+            break
+        leading_parent_parts += 1
+    if leading_parent_parts > allowed_parent_parts:
+        raise EvilArchiveError("Illegal symlink target in archive: " + target)
+    if ".." in target_path.parts[leading_parent_parts:]:
+        raise EvilArchiveError("Illegal symlink target in archive: " + target)
 
 
 class EvilArchiveError(RuntimeError):
diff --git a/tests/resources/illegal_symlink_absolute.tar b/tests/resources/illegal_symlink_absolute.tar
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..24416957
Binary files /dev/null and b/tests/resources/illegal_symlink_absolute.tar differ
diff --git a/tests/resources/illegal_symlink_dots.tar b/tests/resources/illegal_symlink_dots.tar
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..679545b9
Binary files /dev/null and b/tests/resources/illegal_symlink_dots.tar differ
diff --git a/tests/resources/legal_symlink_dots.tar b/tests/resources/legal_symlink_dots.tar
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..7b881393
Binary files /dev/null and b/tests/resources/legal_symlink_dots.tar differ
diff --git a/tests/test_curl_plugin.py b/tests/test_curl_plugin.py
index 8ab476fb..bad894f3 100644
--- a/tests/test_curl_plugin.py
+++ b/tests/test_curl_plugin.py
@@ -104,6 +104,21 @@ def test_evil_archives(self):
             with self.assertRaises(curl_plugin.EvilArchiveError):
                 curl_plugin.extract_tar(str(tar_archive), dest)
 
+    def test_evil_symlink_archives(self):
+        """Even worse than archives containing bad paths, an archive could
+        contain a *symlink* pointing to a bad path. Then a subsequent entry in
+        the *same* archive could write through the symlink."""
+        dest = shared.create_dir()
+        for case in ["illegal_symlink_dots", "illegal_symlink_absolute"]:
+            tar_archive = shared.test_resources / (case + ".tar")
+            with self.assertRaises(curl_plugin.EvilArchiveError):
+                curl_plugin.extract_tar(str(tar_archive), dest)
+        # But leading dots should be allowed in symlinks, as long as they don't
+        # escape the root of the archive.
+        for case in ["legal_symlink_dots"]:
+            tar_archive = shared.test_resources / (case + ".tar")
+            curl_plugin.extract_tar(str(tar_archive), dest)
+
     def test_request_has_user_agent_header(self):
         actual = curl_plugin.build_request("http://example.test")
         self.assertTrue(actual.has_header("User-agent"))