uutils coreutils Missing TOCTOU Protection on Non-Linux Unix Platforms in Safe Traversal Module
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- High
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- Low · Low · None
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and GitHub.
Summary
The safe_traversal module in uutils coreutils, which provides protection against Time-of-Check to Time-of-Use (TOCTOU) symlink races using file-descriptor-relative syscalls, is incorrectly limited to Linux targets. On other Unix-like systems such as macOS and FreeBSD, the utility fails to utilize these protections, leaving directory traversal operations vulnerable to symlink race conditions.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uutils | coreutils | before 0.6.0 | 0.6.0 | Patch available | CNA |
| — | uucore (crates.io) | before 0.6.0 | 0.6.0 | Patch available | GHSA-w6xc-g9qj-vp32 |
- coreutils VendorUutils Affected before 0.6.0 Fixed in 0.6.0 Patch available CNA
- uucore (crates.io) Vendor— Affected before 0.6.0 Fixed in 0.6.0 Patch available GHSA-w6xc-g9qj-vp32
Remediation
- Fix · CNA coreutils (Uutils) Fixed in 0.6.0
- Fix · GHSA-w6xc-g9qj-vp32 uucore (crates.io) Fixed in 0.6.0 Advisory →
Fixed in the same release
Records fixed by the same vendor advisory or release, as the CNA lists them.
- Advisory ·
Uutils coreutils — github.com/uutils/coreutils/releases/tag/0.6.0
12 records Highest priority Priority MEDIUM 3 MEDIUM, 9 LOW
Other records, highest priority first
- TI-2026-27493 uutils coreutils install Arbitrary File Overwrite via Symlink TOCTOU RacePriority MEDIUM 61
- TI-2026-27504 uutils coreutils printenv Security Inspection Bypass via UTF-8 EnforcementPriority MEDIUM 54
- TI-2026-27484 uutils coreutils comm Silent Data Corruption via Lossy UTF-8 NormalizationPriority MEDIUM 49
Vendor assessments
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-35362
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-w6xc-g9qj-vp32
References
Advisory 2
More Uutils Coreutils vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-27506 uutils coreutils chroot Local Privilege Escalation and chroot Escape in via Name Service Switch (NSS) Injection CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.2
- TI-2026-27498 uutils coreutils touch Arbitrary File Truncation via TOCTOU Race Condition CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 6.3
- TI-2026-27488 uutils coreutils cp Unexpected Privileged Executable Creation with -p CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 6.6
- TI-2026-27502 uutils coreutils mv Arbitrary File Overwrite via Cross-Device TOCTOU Race Condition CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 6.3
- TI-2026-27493 uutils coreutils install Arbitrary File Overwrite via Symlink TOCTOU Race CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 6.3
- TI-2026-27511 uutils coreutils ln Local Denial of Service via Improper Handling of Non-UTF-8 Filenames CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 5.5
Sources
- CVE-2026-35362 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-35362 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-w6xc-g9qj-vp32 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-35362 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences