Description
Race condition in the rmtree function in the File::Path module in Perl 5.6.1 and 5.8.4 sets read/write permissions for the world, which allows local users to delete arbitrary files and directories, and possibly read files and directories, via a symlink attack.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | perl | 5.8.4-5 | — |
| Debian 13 | perl | 5.8.4-5 | — |
| Debian 12 | perl | 5.8.4-5 | — |
| Debian 4.0 | perl | 5.8.8-7etch5 | DSA-1678-1 |
| Debian 3.0 | perl | 5.6.1-8.8 | DSA-620-1 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 4 | perl | 3:5.8.5-12.1 | RHSA-2005:103 |
| RHEL 4 | perl-suidperl | 3:5.8.5-12.1.1 | RHSA-2005:103 |
| RHEL 3 | perl +1 | 2:5.8.0-89.10 | RHSA-2005:105 |
| RHEL 3 | perl-CGI | 2:2.81-89.10 | RHSA-2005:105 |
| RHEL 3 | perl-CPAN | 2:1.61-89.10 | RHSA-2005:105 |
| RHEL 3 | perl-DB_File | 2:1.804-89.10 | RHSA-2005:105 |
Advisories 4
- RHSA-2005:105 Red Hat Security Advisory: perl security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
- RHSA-2005:103 Red Hat Security Advisory: perl security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
- DSA-620-1 perl - insecure temporary files / directories Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- DSA-1678-1 perl - privilege escalation Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
References
- RHSA-2005:105 vendor-advisory
- oval:org.mitre.oval:def:9938 vdb-entry signature
- RHSA-2005:103 vendor-advisory
- 55314 third-party-advisory
- DSA-620 vendor-advisory
- FLSA-2006:152845 vendor-advisory
- 12991 third-party-advisory
- 20050111 [OpenPKG-SA-2005.001] OpenPKG Security Advisory (perl) mailing-list
- USN-44-1 vendor-advisory
- GLSA-200501-38 vendor-advisory
- 12072 vdb-entry
- 18517 third-party-advisory
- perl-filepathrmtree-insecure-permissions(18650) vdb-entry