CVE-2026-27456 (GCVE-0-2026-27456)

Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2026-04-03 21:23 – Updated: 2026-04-06 15:42
VLAI
Title
util-linux: TOCTOU Race Condition in util-linux mount(8) - Loop Device Setup
Summary
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.
Severity
4.7 (Medium)
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
SSVC
Exploitation: poc Automatable: no Technical Impact: partial
CISA Coordinator (v2.0.3)
CWE
  • CWE-59 - Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
  • CWE-269 - Improper Privilege Management
  • CWE-367 - Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition
Assigner
References
Impacted products
Vendor Product Version
util-linux util-linux Affected: < 2.41.4
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  • Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or observed by the user.
  • Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
  • Published Proof of Concept: A public proof of concept is available for this vulnerability.
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