CVE-2026-35362: CWE-367: Time-of-Check Time-of-Use (TOCTOU) Race Condition in Uutils coreutils
A TOCTOU (Time-of-Check to Time-of-Use) race condition exists in the safe_traversal module of uutils coreutils. This module uses file-descriptor-relative syscalls to protect against symlink race conditions but only on Linux systems. On other Unix-like systems such as macOS and FreeBSD, these protections are not applied, leaving directory traversal vulnerable to symlink race attacks. The vulnerability has a low severity score and currently no known exploits or patches.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
The safe_traversal module in uutils coreutils is designed to prevent TOCTOU symlink race conditions by using file-descriptor-relative syscalls. However, this protection is limited to Linux targets. On other Unix-like operating systems like macOS and FreeBSD, the module does not implement these protections, resulting in a race condition vulnerability during directory traversal operations. This could allow an attacker to exploit symlink races to potentially cause incorrect file access or manipulation. The CVSS score is 3.6 (low severity), reflecting limited impact and exploitability. No official remediation or patch is currently documented.
Potential Impact
On non-Linux Unix-like systems, directory traversal operations in uutils coreutils may be vulnerable to TOCTOU symlink race conditions. This could lead to limited confidentiality and integrity impacts, such as unauthorized file access or modification due to race conditions in symlink resolution. The vulnerability does not affect availability and requires local access with low privileges and high attack complexity.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until an official fix is available, users on non-Linux Unix-like systems should be aware of the potential risk when using uutils coreutils for directory traversal operations. No vendor advisory or patch links are currently provided.
CVE-2026-35362: CWE-367: Time-of-Check Time-of-Use (TOCTOU) Race Condition in Uutils coreutils
Description
A TOCTOU (Time-of-Check to Time-of-Use) race condition exists in the safe_traversal module of uutils coreutils. This module uses file-descriptor-relative syscalls to protect against symlink race conditions but only on Linux systems. On other Unix-like systems such as macOS and FreeBSD, these protections are not applied, leaving directory traversal vulnerable to symlink race attacks. The vulnerability has a low severity score and currently no known exploits or patches.
CVSS v3.1
Score 3.6low
Affected software
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Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
The safe_traversal module in uutils coreutils is designed to prevent TOCTOU symlink race conditions by using file-descriptor-relative syscalls. However, this protection is limited to Linux targets. On other Unix-like operating systems like macOS and FreeBSD, the module does not implement these protections, resulting in a race condition vulnerability during directory traversal operations. This could allow an attacker to exploit symlink races to potentially cause incorrect file access or manipulation. The CVSS score is 3.6 (low severity), reflecting limited impact and exploitability. No official remediation or patch is currently documented.
Potential Impact
On non-Linux Unix-like systems, directory traversal operations in uutils coreutils may be vulnerable to TOCTOU symlink race conditions. This could lead to limited confidentiality and integrity impacts, such as unauthorized file access or modification due to race conditions in symlink resolution. The vulnerability does not affect availability and requires local access with low privileges and high attack complexity.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until an official fix is available, users on non-Linux Unix-like systems should be aware of the potential risk when using uutils coreutils for directory traversal operations. No vendor advisory or patch links are currently provided.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- canonical
- Date Reserved
- 2026-04-02T12:58:56.088Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
Threat ID: 69e8f7d319fe3cd2cdd00cfd
Added to database: 04/22/2026, 16:31:15 UTC
Last enriched: 07/06/2026, 23:15:12 UTC
Last updated: 07/31/2026, 19:22:58 UTC
Views: 123
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