CVE-2026-35349: Uu rm --preserve-root Bypassed Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-7cr3-h577-g38j
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CVSS 6.7
CWE-693 CWE-59
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-35349 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.7) --preserve-root bypassed vulnerability (CWE-693: Protection Mechanism Failure) affecting Uu rm libraries in the crates.io ecosystem. The issue involves --preserve-root bypassed via a symlink to / (string check instead of dev/inode). Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.7.0.

CVE-2026-35349 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-35349
GHSA Identifier GHSA-7cr3-h577-g38j
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.7
CWE Classification CWE-693: Protection Mechanism Failure
Affected Product Uu rm
Package Ecosystem crates.io
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.7

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality None (C:N)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2026-35349

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Uu rm dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

uu_rm fixed: 0.7.0 
Upgrade uu_rm to 0.7.0
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

inspect dependencies for uu_rm

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2026-35349, inspect your project dependencies for Uu rm:

inspect dependencies for uu_rm

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Uu rm in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.7.0), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-693: Protection Mechanism Failure, where the product does not use or incorrectly uses a protection mechanism that provides sufficient defense against directed attacks against the product. In Uu rm, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

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._

CVE-2026-35349 Affected Uu rm Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.7.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
uu_rm
 crates.io
< 0.7.0
0.7.0

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/security/advisories/GHSA-7cr3-h577-g38j
NVD — CVE-2026-35349 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-35349
Uu rm Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/pull/9706
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/commit/5e5968cdbc6618acd6c2402a8a98b503f278835e
Uu rm Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/uutils/coreutils
Uu rm Release RELEASE
https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/releases/tag/0.7.0

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-35349?
CVE-2026-35349 is a security vulnerability in Uu rm involving --preserve-root bypassed via a symlink to / (string check instead of dev/inode) under CWE-693: Protection Mechanism Failure.
Which Uu rm versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.7.0 across affected packages: uu_rm.
What version fixes CVE-2026-35349?
Upgrading to 0.7.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is uu_rm affected?
Yes, uu_rm is affected in releases prior to 0.7.0. Upgrade your dependency to 0.7.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-35349?
CVE-2026-35349 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.7 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-35349?
CVE-2026-35349 is classified under CWE-693: Protection Mechanism Failure (The product does not use or incorrectly uses a protection mechanism that provides sufficient defense against directed attacks against the product.).
How can I check crates.io dependencies for CVE-2026-35349?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for uu_rm'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-7cr3-h577-g38j",
  "modified" : "2026-07-06T20:15:27Z",
  "published" : "2026-07-06T20:15:27Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-35349" ],
  "summary" : "rm: --preserve-root bypassed via a symlink to / (string check instead of dev/inode)",
  "details" : "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.\n\n**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 `/`.\n\n**Remediation:** Acknowledged by Canonical; fixed in commit 5e5968cd.\n\n---\n_Reported by Zellic in the *uutils coreutils Program Security Assessment* (prepared for Canonical, Jan 20 2026), audited commit `3a07ffc5a9bd4c283e75afa548ba1f1957bad242`. Finding 3.44. Credit: Zellic._",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "crates.io",
      "name" : "uu_rm"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.7.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/security/advisories/GHSA-7cr3-h577-g38j"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-35349"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/pull/9706"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/commit/5e5968cdbc6618acd6c2402a8a98b503f278835e"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/uutils/coreutils"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/releases/tag/0.7.0"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-59", "CWE-693" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-07-06T20:15:27Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}