CVE-2026-53612 (CVSS 7)

Description

util-linux is a random collection of Linux utilities. In util-linux 2.39 through 2.41.4 and 2.42 through 2.42.1, the SUID `mount` utility's `hook_owner.c` post-mount hook performs path-based `chmod()` and `lchown()` operations on a previously validated mount target. A local low-privileged user authorized by an `/etc/fstab` entry with `user` or `users` and an `X-mount.mode`, `X-mount.owner`, or `X-mount.group` option can use `renameat2(RENAME_EXCHANGE)` to race a writable ancestor of the target and redirect the privileged ownership or mode change to a root-owned path, potentially gaining root privileges. This issue is fixed in 2.41.5 and 2.42.2.

Is your site exposed to CVE-2026-53612?

Run a free security scan — no signup, results in seconds.

CVSS v3.1 Score

7.0

HIGH

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0012

Probability of exploitation

0.01%

Percentile rank

EPSS estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A higher score means more likely to be exploited.

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-367 CWE-367

References

Other References

https://github.com/util-linux/util-linux/commit/24da33905c7115c4cbccd0afb2a469804e96467a https://github.com/util-linux/util-linux/commit/722c96974dd4009a334e4aee556eedaab5fb94b4 https://github.com/util-linux/util-linux/commit/897a08c2b11dfa66975c3d24d63c7bf5f5be1a7c https://github.com/util-linux/util-linux/commit/d0c5adaeb3a3d823aba1377794de8f009b8152cc https://github.com/util-linux/util-linux/releases/tag/v2.41.5 https://github.com/util-linux/util-linux/releases/tag/v2.42.2 https://github.com/util-linux/util-linux/security/advisories/GHSA-g8wm-75wr-g2vh https://github.com/util-linux/util-linux/security/advisories/GHSA-g8wm-75wr-g2vh

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-53612? +

util-linux is a random collection of Linux utilities. In util-linux 2.39 through 2.41.4 and 2.42 through 2.42.1, the SUID `mount` utility's `hook_owner.c` post-mount hook performs path-based `chmod()` and `lchown()` operations on a previously validated mount target. A local low-privileged user authorized by an `/etc/fstab` entry with `user` or `users` and an `X-mount.mode`, `X-mount.owner`, or `X-mount.group` option can use `renameat2(RENAME_EXCHANGE)` to race a writable ancestor of the target and redirect the privileged ownership or mode change to a root-owned path, potentially gaining root privileges. This issue is fixed in 2.41.5 and 2.42.2. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.0 (HIGH).

How severe is CVE-2026-53612? +

CVE-2026-53612 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.0 out of 10, rated HIGH. This is a high-severity vulnerability that should be prioritized for patching. The EPSS score is 0.0012, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-53612? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

Related Vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-5958

When sed is invoked with both -i (in-place edit) and --follow-symlinks, the function open_next_file() performs two separate, non-atomic filesystem operations …

CVE-2026-42336

MaxKB is an open-source AI assistant for enterprise. MaxKB 2.8.0 and prior are vulnerable to a server-side request forgery (SSRF) …

CVE-2025-26620

Duende.AccessTokenManagement is a set of .NET libraries that manage OAuth and OpenId Connect access tokens. Duende.AccessTokenManagement contains a race condition …

CVE-2024-53694

A time-of-check time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition vulnerability has been reported to affect several product versions. If exploited, the vulnerability could …

CVE-2025-32784

conda-forge-webservices is the web app deployed to run conda-forge admin commands and linting. In versions prior to 2025.4.10, a race …

CVE-2025-34027

The Versa Concerto SD-WAN orchestration platform is vulnerable to an authentication bypass in the Traefik reverse proxy configuration, allowing at …

CVE-2026-53612