GHSA-4X34-CHG5-MWJJ

Vulnerability from github – Published: 2026-07-06 19:27 – Updated: 2026-07-06 19:27
VLAI
Summary
chmod: recursive mode returns exit code 0 even when some files fail (last-file-wins)
Details

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.

Severity
5.5 (Medium)
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Show details on source website
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{
  "affected": [
    {
      "package": {
        "ecosystem": "crates.io",
        "name": "uu_chmod"
      },
      "ranges": [
        {
          "events": [
            {
              "introduced": "0"
            },
            {
              "fixed": "0.6.0"
            }
          ],
          "type": "ECOSYSTEM"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "aliases": [
    "CVE-2026-35339"
  ],
  "database_specific": {
    "cwe_ids": [
      "CWE-252",
      "CWE-253",
      "CWE-755"
    ],
    "github_reviewed": true,
    "github_reviewed_at": "2026-07-06T19:27:41Z",
    "nvd_published_at": null,
    "severity": "MODERATE"
  },
  "details": "In `Chmoder::chmod()` the recursive branch overwrites the running result instead of accumulating it, so the exit code reflects only the *last* file processed:\n\n```\nif self.recursive {\n    r = self.walk_dir_with_context(file, true);   // overwrites r\n} else {\n    r = self.chmod_file(file).and(r);\n}\n```\n\n**PoC:** GNU returns 1 when a file fails; uutils returns 0 if the last entry succeeds:\n\n```\n$ chmod -R 0755 chmod-bug/root chmod-bug/user  # GNU -\u003e ret=1\n$ uutils chmod -R 0755 chmod-bug/root chmod-bug/user  # -\u003e ret=0\n```\n\n**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.\n\n**Remediation:** Acknowledged by Canonical; fixed in commit abd581f6.\n\n---\n_Reported by Zellic in the *uutils coreutils Program Security Assessment* (prepared for Canonical, Jan 20 2026), audited commit `3a07ffc5a9bd4c283e75afa548ba1f1957bad242`. Finding 3.2. Credit: Zellic._",
  "id": "GHSA-4x34-chg5-mwjj",
  "modified": "2026-07-06T19:27:41Z",
  "published": "2026-07-06T19:27:41Z",
  "references": [
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/security/advisories/GHSA-4x34-chg5-mwjj"
    },
    {
      "type": "ADVISORY",
      "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-35339"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/pull/9793"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/commit/abd581f62e97d0b147306ac40eac13af71c6fbba"
    },
    {
      "type": "PACKAGE",
      "url": "https://github.com/uutils/coreutils"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/releases/tag/0.6.0"
    }
  ],
  "schema_version": "1.4.0",
  "severity": [
    {
      "score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N",
      "type": "CVSS_V3"
    }
  ],
  "summary": "chmod: recursive mode returns exit code 0 even when some files fail (last-file-wins)"
}



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