CVE-2026-54371
attr before version 2.6.0 contains a symlink traversal vulnerability in the getfattr and setfattr utilities that allows local attackers to escalate privileges by replacing a pathname component with a symbolic link during directory hierarchy traversal.
Does this matter?
High impact if exploited, but EPSS currently rates exploitation as unlikely (0.15%). Schedule it in the normal patch cycle and watch for a rise in EPSS or a public exploit.
Description
attr before version 2.6.0 contains a symlink traversal vulnerability in the getfattr and setfattr utilities that allows local attackers to escalate privileges by replacing a pathname component with a symbolic link during directory hierarchy traversal. Attackers who control a pathname component can redirect getfattr and setfattr operations to arbitrary files by substituting a symlink, leading to local privilege escalation when getfattr or setfattr is invoked by a privileged process over an attacker-controlled path.
- CVSS 4.0
- 8.4 HIGHCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/M
- EPSS
- 0.15% probability · 4th percentile
- CISA KEV
- Not listed
- Weakness
- CWE-59
- Source
- disclosure@vulncheck.com
References
- https://cgit.git.savannah.nongnu.org/cgit/attr.git/commit/?id=49f79e947270f06940b9100fa638f85dddc4aa7f
- https://cgit.git.savannah.nongnu.org/cgit/attr.git/commit/?id=c440855d6b33446edf4b5eb1a2d892281f15a99b
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/attr-symlink-traversal-privilege-escalation-via-getfattr-setfattr
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:34889
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:56133
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:59380
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:60226
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:61783
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:63135
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:63138
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:66018
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-54371
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2490283
- https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-54371.json
Source: NVD record, EPSS from FIRST.org, KEV from CISA. Refreshed daily.