{"id":"CVE-2026-35349","aliases":["GHSA-7cr3-h577-g38j"],"title":"rm: --preserve-root bypassed via a symlink to / (string check instead of dev/inode)","summary":"rm: --preserve-root bypassed via a symlink to / (string check instead of dev/inode)","severity":"medium","cvss":6.7,"cwe":["CWE-59","CWE-693"],"vendor":"uu_rm","product":"uu_rm","ecosystem":"rust","affected":["uu_rm < 0.7.0"],"patched":["uu_rm 0.7.0"],"published":"2026-07-06","updated":"2026-07-06","source":"GHSA","sourceUrl":"https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-7cr3-h577-g38j","references":[{"url":"https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/security/advisories/GHSA-7cr3-h577-g38j"},{"url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-35349"},{"url":"https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/pull/9706"},{"url":"https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/commit/5e5968cdbc6618acd6c2402a8a98b503f278835e"},{"url":"https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/releases/tag/0.7.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-7cr3-h577-g38j"}],"tags":["ghsa","rust"],"epss":0.00185,"epssPercentile":0.08342,"ingestedAt":"2026-07-06T20:46:12.679Z","slug":"CVE-2026-35349","body":"## Overview\n\nThe `--preserve-root` check uses a path-string test (`path.has_root() && path.parent().is_none()`) rather than comparing device/inode. A symlink to `/` (e.g. `/tmp/rootlink -> /`) has a parent component, so it passes the check. GNU caches `/`'s dev/inode at startup and compares every traversed directory against it.\n\n**Impact:** `rm -rf --preserve-root` on a path that resolves through a symlink to `/` bypasses protection and can delete system directories. Recommendation: compare each entered directory's dev/inode against cached `/`.\n\n**Remediation:** Acknowledged by Canonical; fixed in commit 5e5968cd.\n\n---\n_Reported by Zellic in the *uutils coreutils Program Security Assessment* (prepared for Canonical, Jan 20 2026), audited commit `3a07ffc5a9bd4c283e75afa548ba1f1957bad242`. Finding 3.44. Credit: Zellic._\n\n## Affected packages\n\n- `uu_rm < 0.7.0`\n\n## Remediation\n\nUpgrade to a patched release:\n\n- `uu_rm 0.7.0`","depth":"sunlit","depthScore":37,"depthScoreParts":{"impact":36.9,"likelihood":0,"exploitation":0,"ransomware":0},"changes":[]}