{"id":"GHSA-4c7q-4928-8445","summary":"chmod: --preserve-root bypassed by any path that resolves to root (e.g. /../)","details":"`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._","aliases":["CVE-2026-35338"],"modified":"2026-07-06T17:56:19.992916Z","published":"2026-07-06T17:41:45Z","database_specific":{"severity":"HIGH","github_reviewed":true,"github_reviewed_at":"2026-07-06T17:41:45Z","nvd_published_at":null,"cwe_ids":["CWE-22","CWE-59"]},"references":[{"type":"WEB","url":"https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/security/advisories/GHSA-4c7q-4928-8445"},{"type":"ADVISORY","url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-35338"},{"type":"WEB","url":"https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/pull/10033"},{"type":"WEB","url":"https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/commit/413055b378fa6fe2299c5e5f538c8e6e841ab810"},{"type":"PACKAGE","url":"https://github.com/uutils/coreutils"},{"type":"WEB","url":"https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/releases/tag/0.6.0"}],"affected":[{"package":{"name":"uu_chmod","ecosystem":"crates.io","purl":"pkg:cargo/uu_chmod"},"ranges":[{"type":"SEMVER","events":[{"introduced":"0"},{"fixed":"0.6.0"}]}],"database_specific":{"source":"https://github.com/github/advisory-database/blob/main/advisories/github-reviewed/2026/07/GHSA-4c7q-4928-8445/GHSA-4c7q-4928-8445.json"}}],"schema_version":"1.9.0","severity":[{"type":"CVSS_V3","score":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"}]}