The mv utility in uutils coreutils improperly handles symbolic links during moves across filesystem boundaries by expanding symlinks rather than preserving them. This can lead to copying large external directories unintentionally, duplication of sensitive data, or infinite recursion if symlink loops exist. The vulnerability is classified as CWE-59 (Improper Link Resolution Before File Access). It has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.6, indicating medium severity, with attack vector local, low attack complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction, unchanged scope, low confidentiality impact, high integrity impact, and low availability impact. No patch or official remediation is currently documented.

Exploitation of this vulnerability can result in resource exhaustion (disk space or processing time) if symlinks point to large external directories. It may also cause unintended duplication of sensitive data into locations that were not intended by the user or system administrator. Additionally, symlink loops can cause infinite recursion and repeated copying, potentially leading to system instability or denial of service. The confidentiality impact is low, integrity impact is high, and availability impact is low according to the CVSS vector.

Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until an official fix is available, users should exercise caution when using the mv utility on directory trees containing symbolic links, especially when moving across filesystem boundaries. Avoid moving directories with complex or unknown symlink structures to prevent resource exhaustion or data duplication.