CVE-2026-6842
Description
A flaw was found in nano. In environments with permissive umask settings, a local attacker can exploit incorrect directory permissions (0777 instead of 0700) for the ~/.local directory. This allows the attacker to inject a malicious .desktop launcher, which could lead to unintended actions or information disclosure if the launcher is subsequently processed.
Statement
This is a Low impact flaw where nano creates the ~/.local directory with insecure permissions (0777) in permissive umask environments. A local attacker can exploit this to inject a malicious .desktop launcher. This issue affects Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 and 9.
Mitigation
Ensure that the system's umask is configured to a secure value, such as `0022` or `0077`, to prevent the creation of world-writable directories. This can be set system-wide in `/etc/profile` or `/etc/bashrc`, or for individual users in their `~/.bashrc` or `~/.profile`. A secure umask will ensure that newly created directories, including `~/.local` by `nano`, have appropriate permissions.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 2.5 | N/A | 2.5 |
| Attack Vector | Local | N/A | Local |
| Attack Complexity | High | N/A | High |
| Privileges Required | Low | N/A | Low |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | None | N/A | None |
| Integrity Impact | Low | N/A | Low |
| Availability Impact | None | N/A | None |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Read Application Data; Read Files or Directories
An attacker may be able to read sensitive information from the associated resource, such as credentials or configuration information stored in a file.
Access Control
Technical Impact: Gain Privileges or Assume Identity
An attacker may be able to modify critical properties of the associated resource to gain privileges, such as replacing a world-writable executable with a Trojan horse.
Integrity,Other
Technical Impact: Modify Application Data; Other
An attacker may be able to destroy or corrupt critical data in the associated resource, such as deletion of records from a database.
Acknowledgements
Red Hat would like to thank Michał Majchrowicz, Marcin Wyczechowski (AFINE Team) for reporting this issue.
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