{"id":"CVE-2026-35372","state":"PUBLISHED","title":"uutils coreutils ln Security Bypass via Improper Handling of the --no-dereference Flag","description":"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.","publishedAt":"2026-04-22T16:08:58.696Z","updatedAt":"2026-04-22T17:21:15.165Z","severity":{"score":5,"label":"Medium","version":"3.1","vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N","source":"canonical"},"assigner":"canonical","products":["Uutils coreutils"],"affected":[{"vendor":"Uutils","product":"coreutils","packageName":"coreutils","defaultStatus":"unaffected","versions":[{"version":"0","status":"affected","lessThan":"0.8.0","versionType":"semver"}],"platforms":["Linux","Unix","macOS"],"collectionURL":"https://github.com/uutils","repo":"https://github.com/uutils/coreutils"}],"references":["https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/pull/11253","https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/releases/tag/0.8.0"],"weaknesses":["CWE-61"],"ingestedAt":"2026-10-29T20:11:40.391Z","source":{"repository":"CVEProject/cvelistV5","path":"cves/2026/35xxx/CVE-2026-35372.json","commit":"556c9d3a8cd17e218bb8e452ba7cd619a384ff47"},"raw":{"dataType":"CVE_RECORD","dataVersion":"5.2","cveMetadata":{"cveId":"CVE-2026-35372","state":"PUBLISHED","datePublished":"2026-04-22T16:08:58.696Z","dateUpdated":"2026-04-22T17:21:15.165Z","assignerShortName":"canonical","assignerOrgId":"cc1ad9ee-3454-478d-9317-d3e869d708bc","dateReserved":"2026-04-02T12:58:56.088Z"},"containers":{"cna":{"title":"uutils coreutils ln Security Bypass via Improper Handling of the --no-dereference Flag","descriptions":[{"lang":"en","value":"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."}],"affected":[{"vendor":"Uutils","product":"coreutils","packageName":"coreutils","defaultStatus":"unaffected","versions":[{"version":"0","status":"affected","lessThan":"0.8.0","versionType":"semver"}],"platforms":["Linux","Unix","macOS"],"collectionURL":"https://github.com/uutils","repo":"https://github.com/uutils/coreutils"}],"references":[{"url":"https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/pull/11253","tags":["issue-tracking","patch"]},{"url":"https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/releases/tag/0.8.0","tags":["vendor-advisory"]}],"metrics":[{"format":"CVSS","scenarios":[{"lang":"en","value":"GENERAL"}],"cvssV3_1":{"version":"3.1","attackVector":"LOCAL","attackComplexity":"LOW","privilegesRequired":"LOW","userInteraction":"REQUIRED","scope":"UNCHANGED","confidentialityImpact":"NONE","integrityImpact":"HIGH","availabilityImpact":"NONE","baseSeverity":"MEDIUM","baseScore":5,"vectorString":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N"}}],"problemTypes":[{"descriptions":[{"cweId":"CWE-61","lang":"en","description":"CWE-61: UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following","type":"CWE"}]}],"providerMetadata":{"shortName":"canonical","orgId":"cc1ad9ee-3454-478d-9317-d3e869d708bc","dateUpdated":"2026-04-22T16:08:58.696Z"},"impacts":[{"capecId":"CAPEC-132","descriptions":[{"lang":"en","value":"CAPEC-132: Symlink Attack"}]}],"credits":[{"lang":"en","value":"Zellic","type":"finder"}],"source":{"discovery":"EXTERNAL"}},"adp":[{"title":"CISA ADP Vulnrichment","metrics":[{"other":{"type":"ssvc","content":{"timestamp":"2026-04-22T17:21:07.778700Z","id":"CVE-2026-35372","options":[{"Exploitation":"none"},{"Automatable":"no"},{"Technical Impact":"partial"}],"role":"CISA Coordinator","version":"2.0.3"}}}],"providerMetadata":{"shortName":"CISA-ADP","orgId":"134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0","dateUpdated":"2026-04-22T17:21:15.165Z"}}]}}}