GitHub Advisoryadvisory · crates.io
GHSA-h444-6j9x-p8vh mv: symlinks expanded during cross-device move (resource exhaustion / data duplication)
MEDIUM
Official page ↗
- Aliases
- CVE-2026-35365
- Ecosystem
- crates.io
- Packages
- uu_mv
- Severity
- Moderate
- CVSS vector
- CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:L
- Weaknesses
- CWE-400, CWE-59
- Reviewed
- 2026-07-06
Affected packages
• crates.io uu_mv: < 0.7.0 → fixed in 0.7.0
Description
When moving directories across filesystems, uutils `mv` dereferences symlinks inside the tree, copying their targets as real files/dirs instead of preserving the symlinks. GNU preserves symlinks by default. E.g. a `etc_link -> /etc` inside the source becomes a full copy of `/etc` at the destination.
Impact: (1) resource exhaustion — a small tree can expand into a huge copy (time/disk DoS); (2) unintended duplication of sensitive paths referenced by symlink; (3) symlink-loop amplification causing deep recursion. Recommendation: in cross-device fallback, detect symlinks via `symlink_metadata()` and recreate with `read_link()`/`symlink()`; add loop detection.
Remediation: Acknowledged by Canonical; fixed in commit 9654e4ab.
---
_Reported by Zellic in the *uutils coreutils Program Security Assessment* (prepared for Canonical, Jan 20 2026), audited commit `3a07ffc5a9bd4c283e75afa548ba1f1957bad242`. Finding 3.63. Credit: Zellic._
Related
Alias · CVE (1)
- CVE-2026-35365 The mv utility in uutils coreutils improperly handles directory trees containing symbolic links during moves across filesystem boundaries. vulnerability
References
- https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/security/advisories/GHSA-h444-6j9x-p8vh web
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-35365 advisory
- https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/pull/10546 web
- https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/commit/9654e4abaf24449ef2279e9a16963edb5c8b8fef web
- https://github.com/uutils/coreutils package
- https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/releases/tag/0.7.0 web