CVE-2026-35372

Description

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.

Predictions

Heuristic predictions, AS-IS, for prioritization only.

Mitigations

References

• https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/pull/11253
• https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/releases/tag/0.8.0
• https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-35372
• https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/commit/394c4b17f2f382b4be9f54389bcb79028de02f39
• https://github.com/uutils/coreutils
• https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2026-35372
• https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-wq63-vh5h-pr5p

CWEs

CWE-61