CVE-2026-35361: mknod: Device nodes created mislabeled on SELinux, with broken cleanup (remove_dir on a node)
uutils calls mknod before setting the SELinux context (GNU uses setfscreatecon first, labeling atomically). If set_selinux_security_context fails, cleanup uses std::fs::remove_dir, which cannot remove device nodes or FIFOs, leaving the mislabeled node behind.
Impact: on SELinux-enforcing systems the node is created with the wrong context; the command reports failure but leaves a mislabeled device node that may bypass mandatory access control, and orphaned nodes can persist across reboots. Recommendation: use setfscreatecon before mknod, abort on failure, and use remove_file for cleanup.
Remediation: Acknowledged by Canonical.
Reported by Zellic in the uutils coreutils Program Security Assessment (prepared for Canonical, Jan 20 2026), audited commit 3a07ffc5a9bd4c283e75afa548ba1f1957bad242. Finding 3.58. Credit: Zellic.
References
- github.com/advisories/GHSA-r9hw-mj3w-phcq
- github.com/uutils/coreutils/commit/42b2ad83cdcf6e959ecb378c5040c60d9c64becf
- github.com/uutils/coreutils/pull/10582
- github.com/uutils/coreutils/releases/tag/0.6.0
- github.com/uutils/coreutils/security/advisories/GHSA-r9hw-mj3w-phcq
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-35361
Code Behaviors & Features
Detect and mitigate CVE-2026-35361 with GitLab Dependency Scanning
Secure your software supply chain by verifying that all open source dependencies used in your projects contain no disclosed vulnerabilities. Dependency Scanning using SBOM also detects vulnerabilities from proprietary advisories that this site does not include. Learn more about Dependency Scanning using SBOM →