GHSA-7cr3-h577-g38j is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.7) CWE-59 vulnerability in uu_rm. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-7cr3-h577-g38j is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
rm: --preserve-root bypassed via a symlink to / (string check instead of dev/inode)
Real-World Exposure
uu_rmReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects crates.io packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
The --preserve-root check uses a path-string test (path.has_root() && path.parent().is_none()) rather than comparing device/inode. A symlink to / (e.g. /tmp/rootlink -> /) has a parent component, so it passes the check. GNU caches /'s dev/inode at startup and compares every traversed directory against it.
Impact: rm -rf --preserve-root on a path that resolves through a symlink to / bypasses protection and can delete system directories. Recommendation: compare each entered directory's dev/inode against cached /.
Remediation: Acknowledged by Canonical; fixed in commit 5e5968cd.
Reported by Zellic in the uutils coreutils Program Security Assessment (prepared for Canonical, Jan 20 2026), audited commit 3a07ffc5a9bd4c283e75afa548ba1f1957bad242. Finding 3.44. Credit: Zellic.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🦀crates.io | uu_rm | all versions | 0.7.0 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for uu_rm. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update uu_rm to 0.7.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-7cr3-h577-g38j is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether GHSA-7cr3-h577-g38j is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to GHSA-7cr3-h577-g38j. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-7cr3-h577-g38j in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-7cr3-h577-g38j across crates.io dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.