Vulnerability in Uutils Coreutils
CVE-2026-35372
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.
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 5.0 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.002 (5.3th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 5th percentile — 5.3% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.002 · newest: 0.002 · change: 0.000
Affected products
- Uutils Coreutils — versions 0
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- github.com/uutils/coreutils/pull/11253 (issue-tracking, Patch, patch, Issue Tracking)
- github.com/uutils/coreutils/releases/tag/0.8.0 (vendor-advisory, Release Notes)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-35372?
- CVE-2026-35372 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Uutils Coreutils, classified under UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following. CVSS score: 5.0/10. Published 2026-04-22.
- How severe is CVE-2026-35372?
- Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 5.0 out of 10.