Vulnerability in Uutils Coreutils

CVE-2026-35339

The recursive mode (-R) of the chmod utility in uutils coreutils incorrectly handles exit codes when processing multiple files. The final return value is determined solely by the success or failure of the last file processed. This allows the command to return an exit code of 0 (success) even if errors were encountered on previous files, such as 'Operation not permitted'. Scripts relying on these exit codes may proceed under a false sense of success while sensitive files remain with restrictive or incorrect permissions.

EPSS: 0.001 (3.9th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 5.5 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N.

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-35339?
CVE-2026-35339 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Uutils Coreutils, classified under CWE-253. CVSS score: 5.5/10. Published 2026-04-22.
How severe is CVE-2026-35339?
Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 5.5 out of 10.