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.

How to fix CVE-2026-35372

To remediate CVE-2026-35372, upgrade the affected package to a fixed version below.

• —upgrade to 0.8.0 or later
• —no fix listed

Is CVE-2026-35372 being exploited?

Low — EPSS is 0.0%, meaning exploitation activity has not been observed at scale.

Affected packages (2)

• from 0, < 0.8.0
• from 0

CVSS scores

References (6)

• ADVISORYnvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-35372
• ADVISORYsecurity-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2026-35372
• PATCHgithub.com/uutils/coreutils
• WEBgithub.com/uutils/coreutils/commit/394c4b17f2f382b4be9f54389bcb79028de02f39
• WEB