CVE-2026-35372
Uutils Coreutils ≤ 0.8.0
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:NSummary
CVE-2026-35372 is a medium-severity UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following (CWE-61) vulnerability in Uutils Coreutils. Its CVSS base score is 5.0 (Medium).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked at the 4th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to AC-3 (Access Enforcement) and AC-6 (Least Privilege) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-25020
Vulnerability Data
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…
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(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.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Logic flaw enables local symlink manipulation to force unauthorized file creation in privileged locations when ln -n is invoked by root/scripts, directly supporting local privilege escalation.
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Limits privileges of users/scripts invoking ln -n so symlink redirection cannot reach sensitive directories.
Enforces access rules that block file creation inside directories an attacker redirects via the mishandled symlink.
Requires prompt patching of the uutils coreutils ln utility to correct the -n flag logic error.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure SDLC practices directly prevent introduction of symlink-following flaws in file-handling code.
Vulnerability identification can discover existing symlink issues but does not prevent or remediate them in code.
Least-privilege access policies can limit damage from symlink attacks but do not address the coding flaw itself.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing can detect symlink-following vulnerabilities before deployment, covering most of the weakness.
Secure-architecture principles require safe file-handling and canonicalization, directly addressing symlink attacks.
Secure-coding standards mandate explicit symlink checks and safe open patterns, fully mitigating CWE-61.
Access-control rules can restrict which files a process may open, reducing symlink-following risk but not eliminating the underlying path-resolution flaw.
Configuration management can enforce safe file-permission baselines that limit symlink abuse, but does not address the code flaw itself.