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GHSA-w8m4-4v35-v6x3

Duplicate Advisory: uutils coreutils allows unauthorized modification of permissions on existing files

High Withdrawn Jul 6, 2026 crates.io
Severity
7.1 / 10
High · CVSS 3.1
Exploit chance (EPSS)
—
No score published
Known exploited
No
Not in CISA's catalog
Weakness
CWE-732 Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource
Fix
None yet
No fixed version published

Description

Duplicate Advisory

This advisory has been withdrawn because it is a duplicate of GHSA-pmf6-rcx4-v53v. This link is maintained to preserve external references.

Original Description

A vulnerability in uutils coreutils mkfifo allows for the unauthorized modification of permissions on existing files. When mkfifo fails to create a FIFO because a file already exists at the target path, it fails to terminate the operation for that path and continues to execute a follow-up set_permissions call. This results in the existing file's permissions being changed to the default mode (often 644 after umask), potentially exposing sensitive files such as SSH private keys to other users on the system.

Affected versions

crates.io

PackageVulnerableFixed in
coreutils
<= 0.8.0
No fix yet

How to fix

No fixed version has been published yet. Until one is, remove or replace the package, or turn off or isolate the affected feature. This page updates when a fix ships.

Severity breakdown

CVSS 3.1 7.1

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

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

Weakness

CWE-732: Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource

The product specifies permissions for a security-critical resource in a way that allows that resource to be read or modified by unintended actors.

How to prevent it
  • Implementation: When using a critical resource such as a configuration file, check to see if the resource has insecure permissions (such as being modifiable by any regular user) [REF-62], and generate an error or even exit the software if there is a possibility that the resource could have been modified by an unauthorized party.
  • Architecture and Design: Divide the software into anonymous, normal, privileged, and administrative areas. Reduce the attack surface by carefully defining distinct user groups, privileges, and/or roles. Map these against data, functionality, and the related resources. Then set the permissions accordingly. This will allow you to maintain more fine-grained control over your resources. [REF-207]
  • Architecture and Design, Operation: Run the code in a "jail" or similar sandbox environment that enforces strict boundaries between the process and the operating system. This may effectively restrict which files can be accessed in a particular directory or which commands can be executed by the software. OS-level examples include the Unix chroot jail, AppArmor, and SELinux. In general, managed code may provide some protection. For example, java.io.FilePermission in the Java SecurityManager allows the software to specify restrictions on file operations. This may not be a feasible solution, and it only limits the impact to the operating system; the rest of the application may still be subject to compromise. Be careful to avoid CWE-243 and other weaknesses related to jails.
  • Implementation, Installation: During program startup, explicitly set the default permissions or umask to the most restrictive setting possible. Also set the appropriate permissions during program installation. This will prevent you from inheriting insecure permissions from any user who installs or runs the program.
  • System Configuration: For all configuration files, executables, and libraries, make sure that they are only readable and writable by the software's administrator.
  • Documentation: Do not suggest insecure configuration changes in documentation, especially if those configurations can extend to resources and other programs that are outside the scope of the application.
  • Installation: Do not assume that a system administrator will manually change the configuration to the settings that are recommended in the software's manual.
  • Operation, System Configuration: Ensure that the software runs properly under the United States Government Configuration Baseline (USGCB) [REF-199] or an equivalent hardening configuration guide, which many organizations use to limit the attack surface and potential risk of deployed software.
  • Implementation, System Configuration, Operation: When storing data in the cloud (e.g., S3 buckets, Azure blobs, Google Cloud Storage, etc.), use the provider's controls to disable public access.

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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