rm: --preserve-root bypassed via a symlink to / (string check instead of dev/inode)
The `--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. **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 `/`. **Remediation:** Acknowledged by Canonical; fixed in commit 5e5968cd. --- _Reported by Zellic in the *uutils coreutils Program Security Assessment* (prepared for Canonical, Jan 20 2026), audited commit `3a07ffc5a9bd4c283e75afa548ba1f1957bad242`. Finding 3.44. Credit: Zellic._
describes (1)
Related CVEs.
| ID | severity | exploitable | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2026-35349US | high7.7 | — | ||
A vulnerability in the rm utility of uutils coreutils allows a bypass of the --preserve-root protection. The implementation uses a path-string check rather than comparing device an… | ||||
references
External citations — patches, advisories, analysis.
- https://github.com/uutils/coreutilsPACKAGE
- https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/commit/5e5968cdbc6618acd6c2402a8a98b503f278835eWEB
- https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/pull/9706WEB
- https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/releases/tag/0.7.0WEB
- https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/security/advisories/GHSA-7cr3-h577-g38jWEB
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-35349ADVISORY
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