chmod: recursive mode returns exit code 0 even when some files fail (last-file-wins)
In `Chmoder::chmod()` the recursive branch overwrites the running result instead of accumulating it, so the exit code reflects only the *last* file processed: ``` if self.recursive { r = self.walk_dir_with_context(file, true); // overwrites r } else { r = self.chmod_file(file).and(r); } ``` **PoC:** GNU returns 1 when a file fails; uutils returns 0 if the last entry succeeds: ``` $ chmod -R 0755 chmod-bug/root chmod-bug/user # GNU -> ret=1 $ uutils chmod -R 0755 chmod-bug/root chmod-bug/user # -> ret=0 ``` **Impact:** scripts relying on the exit code get a false success signal while some files retained restrictive/unexpected permissions, leading to access-control misconfigurations. Recommendation: accumulate errors during traversal. **Remediation:** Acknowledged by Canonical; fixed in commit abd581f6. --- _Reported by Zellic in the *uutils coreutils Program Security Assessment* (prepared for Canonical, Jan 20 2026), audited commit `3a07ffc5a9bd4c283e75afa548ba1f1957bad242`. Finding 3.2. Credit: Zellic._
describes (1)
Related CVEs.
| ID | severity | exploitable | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2026-35339US | — | — | ||
The recursive mode (-R) of the chmod utility in uutils coreutils incorrectly handles exit codes when processing multiple files. The final return value is determined solely by the s… | ||||
references
External citations — patches, advisories, analysis.
- https://github.com/uutils/coreutilsPACKAGE
- https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/commit/abd581f62e97d0b147306ac40eac13af71c6fbbaWEB
- https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/pull/9793WEB
- https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/releases/tag/0.6.0WEB
- https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/security/advisories/GHSA-4x34-chg5-mwjjWEB
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-35339ADVISORY
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