{"id":"CVE-2026-35338","aliases":["GHSA-4c7q-4928-8445"],"title":"chmod: --preserve-root bypassed by any path that resolves to root (e.g. /../)","summary":"chmod: --preserve-root bypassed by any path that resolves to root (e.g. /../)","severity":"high","cvss":7.3,"cwe":["CWE-22","CWE-59"],"vendor":"uu_chmod","product":"uu_chmod","ecosystem":"rust","affected":["uu_chmod < 0.6.0"],"patched":["uu_chmod 0.6.0"],"published":"2026-07-06","updated":"2026-07-06","source":"GHSA","sourceUrl":"https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-4c7q-4928-8445","references":[{"url":"https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/security/advisories/GHSA-4c7q-4928-8445"},{"url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-35338"},{"url":"https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/pull/10033"},{"url":"https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/commit/413055b378fa6fe2299c5e5f538c8e6e841ab810"},{"url":"https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/releases/tag/0.6.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-4c7q-4928-8445"}],"tags":["ghsa","rust"],"epss":0.00175,"epssPercentile":0.07297,"ingestedAt":"2026-07-06T17:44:51.387Z","slug":"CVE-2026-35338","body":"## Overview\n\n`Chmoder::chmod()` only compares the literal argument against `Path::new(\"/\")`, so the `--preserve-root` guard is bypassed by any path that *resolves* to root — a symlink to `/` or simply `/../`.\n\n```\nif self.recursive && self.preserve_root && file == Path::new(\"/\") {\n    return Err(ChmodError::PreserveRoot(\"/\".to_string()).into());\n}\n```\n\n**PoC** — recursively chmods the entire filesystem to `000` despite `--preserve-root`:\n\n```\nchmod -R --preserve-root 000 /../ -v\n```\n\n**Impact:** `--preserve-root` is the documented safeguard against destructive recursive operations on `/`. Bypassing it allows `chmod -R` to alter permissions across the whole filesystem, causing a complete system breakdown. Recommendation: canonicalize the target path before comparing against root.\n\n**Remediation:** Acknowledged by Canonical; fixed in commit 413055b3.\n\n---\n_Reported by Zellic in the *uutils coreutils Program Security Assessment* (prepared for Canonical, Jan 20 2026), audited commit `3a07ffc5a9bd4c283e75afa548ba1f1957bad242`. Finding 3.1. Credit: Zellic._\n\n## Affected packages\n\n- `uu_chmod < 0.6.0`\n\n## Remediation\n\nUpgrade to a patched release:\n\n- `uu_chmod 0.6.0`","depth":"twilight","depthScore":40,"depthScoreParts":{"impact":40.2,"likelihood":0,"exploitation":0,"ransomware":0},"changes":[]}