Vulnerability · Published Oct 28, 2026 · Assigned by CPANSec
CVE-2026-116271MIME::Parser::FileUnder versions before 5.521 for Perl reuse a pre-created output directory and follow symlinks in it, letting local users redirect attachment writes
High 7.0
In plain English
A high-severity security flaw in MIME-tools. There are no confirmed reports of exploitation so far. The chance it is exploited in the next 30 days is estimated at 0.1% (higher than 3% of all known vulnerabilities). Fixed versions are available - upgrade the affected package.
Official description
MIME::Parser::FileUnder versions before 5.521 for Perl reuse a pre-created output directory and follow symlinks in it, letting local users redirect attachment writes. Each message is written to a directory named msg-<time>-<pid>-<n> under the output base, and an existing directory of that name is used as is. A file name counts as unused when nothing exists at that path, which holds for a dangling symlink, and the body file is then opened in a way that follows the link. When the output base is writable by other users, as with output_under("/tmp"), a local user can pre-create the directory with a symlink named like an attachment. The parser then writes the attachment to the link target with the privileges of the parsing process.
Affected packages & fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | libmime-tools-perl | no fix listed | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-116271 |
| Debian:13 | libmime-tools-perl | no fix listed | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-116271 |
| Debian:14 | libmime-tools-perl | 5.522-1 | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-116271 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | libmime-tools-perl | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-116271 |
| Ubuntu:24.04:LTS | libmime-tools-perl | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-116271 |
| Ubuntu:26.04:LTS | libmime-tools-perl | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-116271 |
| Ubuntu:26.10 | libmime-tools-perl | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-116271 |
Affected products (as reported)
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| MIME-tools | 0 – before 5.521 |
Weakness: CWE-59 · Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H