CVE-2026-41991
Predictable Temporary File in GNU gzip
Reported by cert-pl · Published June 29, 2026
GNU gzip contains a vulnerability in the gzexe utility related to insecure temporary file handling. When the mktemp utility is not available in the user’s PATH, gzexe falls back to constructing a temporary file path based solely on the process ID (PID). This predictable filename is created without exclusive access or existence checks. A local attacker can pre‑create the predicted temporary file path as a symbolic link pointing to an arbitrary file writable by the victim. When gzexe runs, it follows the symlink and overwrites the target file, resulting in a time‑of‑check to time‑of‑use (TOCTOU) condition that allows arbitrary file overwrite. This issue has been fixed in the commit 4e6f8b24ab823146ab8776f0b7fe486ab34d4269
Fixed versions
Upgrade to a fixed version or later. Language registries are listed first, then Linux distributions, then vendor products.
| Package | Ecosystem | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| gzip | errata.rockylinux.org | 1.13-4.el10, 1.12-2.el9, 1.9-15.el8 |
| gzip-debuginfo | errata.rockylinux.org | 1.13-4.el10, 1.12-2.el9, 1.9-15.el8 |
| gzip-debugsource | errata.rockylinux.org | 1.13-4.el10, 1.12-2.el9, 1.9-15.el8 |
| gzip | GNU | 1.14 |
Risk scores
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| GNU | gzip | 0 |
| GNU | gzip | 0 |
Timeline
- Jun 29, 2026 CVE Published
- Jun 29, 2026 CVE Updated
- Jun 30, 2026 EPSS Score (8 in total, the first dated here)
- Jun 30, 2026 Coalition ESS Score
- Aug 11, 2026 Distribution Patch (11 in total, the first dated here)
- Aug 11, 2026 Security Advisory (9 in total, the first dated here)
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