uutils coreutils ln Security Bypass via Improper Handling of the --no-dereference Flag
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- Required
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · High · None
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and GitHub.
Summary
A logic error in the ln utility of uutils coreutils allows the utility to dereference a symbolic link target even when the --no-dereference (or -n) flag is explicitly provided. The implementation previously only honored the "no-dereference" intent if the --force (overwrite) mode was also enabled. This flaw causes ln to follow a symbolic link that points to a directory and create new links inside that target directory instead of treating the symbolic link itself as the destination. In environments where a privileged user or system script uses ln -n to update a symlink, a local attacker could manipulate existing symbolic links to redirect file creation into sensitive directories, potentially leading to unauthorized file creation or system misconfiguration.
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 0.8.0 | 0.8.0 | Patch available | CNA |
| — | coreutils (crates.io) | before 0.8.0 | 0.8.0 | Patch available | GHSA-wq63-vh5h-pr5p |
- coreutils VendorUutils Affected before 0.8.0 Fixed in 0.8.0 Patch available CNA
- coreutils (crates.io) Vendor— Affected before 0.8.0 Fixed in 0.8.0 Patch available GHSA-wq63-vh5h-pr5p
Remediation
- Fix · CNA coreutils (Uutils) Fixed in 0.8.0
- Fix · GHSA-wq63-vh5h-pr5p coreutils (crates.io) Fixed in 0.8.0 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/0.8.0
7 records Highest priority Priority MEDIUM 3 MEDIUM, 4 LOW
Other records, highest priority first
- TI-2026-27517 uutils coreutils tr Local Logic Error and Data Integrity Issue in Character Class HandlingPriority MEDIUM 49
- TI-2026-27516 uutils coreutils expr Local Denial of Service via Eager Evaluation of Parenthesized SubexpressionsPriority MEDIUM 49
- TI-2026-27513 uutils coreutils split Local Data Integrity Issue via Lossy Filename EncodingPriority MEDIUM 49
Vendor assessments
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-35372
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-wq63-vh5h-pr5p
References
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-2026-35372 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-35372 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-wq63-vh5h-pr5p · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-35372 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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