Link following in MIME-tools
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- High
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 1 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CISA ADP. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
MIME::Parser::FileUnder versions before 5.521 for Perl reuse a pre-created output directory and follow symlinks in it, letting local users redirect attachment writes. Each message is written to a directory named msg-<time>-<pid>-<n> under the output base, and an existing directory of that name is used as is. A file name counts as unused when nothing exists at that path, which holds for a dangling symlink, and the body file is then opened in a way that follows the link. When the output base is writable by other users, as with output_under("/tmp"), a local user can pre-create the directory with a symlink named like an attachment. The parser then writes the attachment to the link target with the privileges of the parsing process.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Total
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | MIME-tools | before 5.521 | 5.521 | Patch available | CNA |
- MIME-tools Vendor— Affected before 5.521 Fixed in 5.521 Patch available CNA
Remediation
- Fix · CNA MIME-tools Fixed in 5.521
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
Timeline
- 2026-10-28 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-116271
- 2026-10-28 Alias added: GHSA-x3mf-3f47-pgpf
- 2026-10-30 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-30 CVSS score added · Red Hat
- 2026-11-05 CVSS score added · CISA ADP
- 2026-11-05 CISA SSVC decision points changed
References
Sources
- CVE-2026-116271 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-116271 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-x3mf-3f47-pgpf · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-116271 · 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