Util Linux

util-linux is a random collection of Linux utilities. Prior to version 2.41.4, a TOCTOU (Time-of-Check-Time-of-Use) vulnerability has been identified in the SUID binary /usr/bin/mount from util-linux. The mount binary, when setting up loop devices, validates the source file path with user privileges via fork() + setuid() + realpath(), but subsequently re-canonicalizes and opens it with root privileges (euid=0) without verifying that the path has not been replaced between both operations. Neither O_NOFOLLOW, nor inode comparison, nor post-open fstat() are employed. This allows a local unprivileged user to replace the source file with a symlink pointing to any root-owned file or device during the race window, causing the SUID binary to open and mount it as root. Exploitation requires an /etc/fstab entry with user,loop options whose path points to a directory where the attacker has write permission, and that /usr/bin/mount has the SUID bit set (the default configuration on virtually all Linux distributions). The impact is unauthorized read access to root-protected files and block devices, including backup images, disk volumes, and any file containing a valid filesystem. This issue has been patched in version 2.41.4.

Published: 2026-04-03T21:23:00.984Z
Updated: 2026-04-06T15:42:35.774Z

wall in util-linux through 2.40, often installed with setgid tty permissions, allows escape sequences to be sent to other users' terminals through argv. (Specifically, escape sequences received from stdin are blocked, but escape sequences received from argv are not blocked.) There may be plausible scenarios where this leads to account takeover.

Published: 2024-03-27T00:00:00.000Z
Updated: 2026-05-12T11:51:43.281Z

A flaw was found in the util-linux chfn and chsh utilities when compiled with Readline support. The Readline library uses an "INPUTRC" environment variable to get a path to the library config file. When the library cannot parse the specified file, it prints an error message containing data from the file. This flaw allows an unprivileged user to read root-owned files, potentially leading to privilege escalation. This flaw affects util-linux versions prior to 2.37.4.

Published: 2022-02-21T00:00:00.000Z
Updated: 2025-06-09T15:39:20.619Z

A logic error was found in the libmount library of util-linux in the function that allows an unprivileged user to unmount a FUSE filesystem. This flaw allows a local user on a vulnerable system to unmount other users' filesystems that are either world-writable themselves (like /tmp) or mounted in a world-writable directory. An attacker may use this flaw to cause a denial of service to applications that use the affected filesystems.

Published: 2022-08-23T00:00:00.000Z
Updated: 2024-10-15T15:26:56.079Z

A logic error was found in the libmount library of util-linux in the function that allows an unprivileged user to unmount a FUSE filesystem. This flaw allows an unprivileged local attacker to unmount FUSE filesystems that belong to certain other users who have a UID that is a prefix of the UID of the attacker in its string form. An attacker may use this flaw to cause a denial of service to applications that use the affected filesystems.

Published: 2022-08-23T00:00:00.000Z
Updated: 2024-08-03T17:16:03.736Z

An integer overflow in util-linux through 2.37.1 can potentially cause a buffer overflow if an attacker were able to use system resources in a way that leads to a large number in the /proc/sysvipc/sem file. NOTE: this is unexploitable in GNU C Library environments, and possibly in all realistic environments.

Published: 2021-07-28T00:00:00.000Z
Updated: 2024-08-04T01:23:01.417Z

An issue was discovered in hwclock.13-v2.27 allows attackers to gain escalated privlidges or execute arbitrary commands via the path parameter when setting the date.

Published: 2023-08-22T00:00:00.000Z
Updated: 2024-12-20T13:06:39.507Z

In util-linux before 2.32-rc1, bash-completion/umount allows local users to gain privileges by embedding shell commands in a mountpoint name, which is mishandled during a umount command (within Bash) by a different user, as demonstrated by logging in as root and entering umount followed by a tab character for autocompletion.

Published: 2018-03-06T22:00:00.000Z
Updated: 2024-12-13T13:09:22.233Z

The parse_dos_extended function in partitions/dos.c in the libblkid library in util-linux allows physically proximate attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) via a crafted MSDOS partition table with an extended partition boot record at zero offset.

Published: 2017-04-11T15:00:00.000Z
Updated: 2024-08-06T00:46:40.241Z

The mkostemp function in login-utils in util-linux when used incorrectly allows remote attackers to cause file name collision and possibly other attacks.

Published: 2017-08-23T15:00:00.000Z
Updated: 2025-12-04T20:03:59.057Z

Buffer overflow in text-utils/colcrt.c in colcrt in util-linux before 2.27 allows local users to cause a denial of service (crash) via a crafted file, related to the page global variable.

Published: 2015-11-09T16:00:00.000Z
Updated: 2024-08-06T06:41:08.934Z

Blkid in util-linux before 2.26rc-1 allows local users to execute arbitrary code.

Published: 2017-03-31T15:00:00.000Z
Updated: 2025-12-04T20:21:07.498Z

mount and umount in util-linux and loop-aes-utils call the setuid and setgid functions in the wrong order and do not check the return values, which might allow attackers to gain privileges via helpers such as mount.nfs.

Published: 2007-10-04T16:00:00.000Z
Updated: 2024-08-07T15:24:42.131Z

script command in the util-linux package before 2.11n allows local users to overwrite arbitrary files by setting a hardlink from the typescript log file to any file on the system, then having root execute the script command.

Published: 2005-06-21T04:00:00.000Z
Updated: 2024-08-08T04:58:11.298Z