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GHSA-v762-x3cf-5mfg

Duplicate Advisory: uutils coreutils has a Link Following Issue Via rm Utility

Medium Withdrawn Jul 6, 2026 crates.io
Severity
6.7 / 10
Medium · CVSS 3.1
Exploit chance (EPSS)
—
No score published
Known exploited
No
Not in CISA's catalog
Weakness
CWE-59 Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
Fix
0.7.0
Upgrade coreutils to this version or later

Description

Duplicate Advisory

This advisory has been withdrawn because it is a duplicate of GHSA-7cr3-h577-g38j. This link is maintained to preserve external references.

Original Description

A vulnerability in the rm utility of uutils coreutils allows a bypass of the --preserve-root protection. The implementation uses a path-string check rather than comparing device and inode numbers to identify the root directory. An attacker or accidental user can bypass this safeguard by using a symbolic link that resolves to the root directory (e.g., /tmp/rootlink -> /), potentially leading to the unintended recursive deletion of the entire root filesystem.

Affected versions

crates.io

PackageVulnerableFixed in
coreutils
< 0.7.0
0.7.0

How to fix

Move to the fixed version or later with your package manager, update the lockfile, and run your tests. If the package only arrives through another dependency, upgrade that dependency first. If none of its releases pulls a fixed version yet, force the version with your package manager's override.

coreutils crates.io → 0.7.0

cargo
cargo update -p coreutils --precise 0.7.0

Severity breakdown

CVSS 3.1 6.7

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H

Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
High
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Weakness

CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')

The product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource.

How to prevent it
  • Architecture and Design: Follow the principle of least privilege when assigning access rights to entities in a software system. Denying access to a file can prevent an attacker from replacing that file with a link to a sensitive file. Ensure good compartmentalization in the system to provide protected areas that can be trusted.

References

Timeline

  1. Published
  2. Withdrawn
  3. Last updated by the source
AdvisorySeverityWhy it's related
GHSA-m2pg-c7m6-77pj
uutils coreutils has an Improper Input Validation Issue in its cut Utility
Medium Also affects coreutils
GHSA-fhr3-xh3q-69w6
uutils coreutils has an Incorrect Provision of Specified Functionality Issue
Low Also affects coreutils
GHSA-5pv5-xh52-hvrp
uutils coreutils has an Incorrect Short Circuit Evaluation Issue
Low Also affects coreutils
GHSA-5v4g-vw9x-h534
uutils coreutils has an Improper Input Validation Issue in its env Utility
Low Also affects coreutils
GHSA-6g8r-74qp-6859
uutils coreutils has a Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition
Medium Also affects coreutils
GHSA-vx9m-xjwf-8cqm
uutils coreutils has an Improper Handling of Unicode Encoding Issue
Low Also affects coreutils
GHSA-4wrp-79m8-9m9p
uutils coreutils has a Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition
Medium Also affects coreutils
GHSA-wq63-vh5h-pr5p
uutils coreutils has a UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following issue
Medium Also affects coreutils
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