Medium technical severity with no CISA KEV confirmation; remediate through the normal risk-based patch cycle unless local exposure raises the priority.
Patch available
Distribution package intelligence
Ubuntu vendor package status
Canonical’s release and source-package findings are shown separately from local repository availability.
1 package state
Repository candidate not checked
A published vendor fix does not prove that a matching update is enabled and installable on a particular asset. Confirm the local package candidate before scheduling remediation.
Ubuntu release
Source package
Vendor state
Fixed version
Evidence
Ubuntu 24.04 LTSnoble · standard archive
policycoreutils
Under evaluationCanonical reports that the package might be affected and still needs evaluation or fixing.
Structured product status and remediation from the issuing vendor. Product-state explanations are always visible; large lists can be searched or downloaded.
The vendor explicitly identifies these products as affected by this CVE.
policycoreutils-dbus as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
policycoreutils-devel as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
policycoreutils-gui as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
policycoreutils-newrole as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
policycoreutils-python-utils as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
policycoreutils-restorecond as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
policycoreutils-sandbox as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
policycoreutils.src as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
python3-policycoreutils as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
policycoreutils as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
policycoreutils-gui as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
policycoreutils-newrole as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
Summary
A TOCTOU (Time-of-Check-Time-of-Use) race condition vulnerability was found in the fixfiles script in policycoreutils. When running fixfiles relabel or fixfiles restore, the script used find and chcon commands to locate and relabel unlabeled files under /tmp and other directories. A local attacker could exploit a race window between the file discovery and the label change operation by swapping directory components with symlinks, causing chcon to follow the symlink and modify SELinux labels on arbitrary system files. This could undermine SELinux mandatory access control protections on critical files such as /etc/shadow.
Remediation
For details on how to apply this update, which includes the changes described in this advisory, refer to: https://images.redhat.com/
Optional official sources
National CERT insights ?CERT means Computer Emergency Response Team; CSIRT is the closely related term Computer Security Incident Response Team.
Select the national-authority views to include. The exact source language is shown on each matched advisory. Your choice is remembered on this device and encoded in the shareable URL.
Official European source
ENISA European Vulnerability Database
Official EUVD identifiers, advisory evidence and known-exploited context. Missing fields are not treated as evidence of low risk.
1 current
ENISA EUVD identifier
EUVD-2026-54398
No EUVD known-exploited evidence
A TOCTOU (Time-of-Check-Time-of-Use) race condition vulnerability was found in the fixfiles script in policycoreutils. When running fixfiles relabel or fixfiles restore, the script used find and chcon commands to locate and relabel unlabeled files under /tmp and other directories. A local attacker could exploit a race window between the file discovery and the label change operation by swapping directory components with symlinks, causing chcon to follow the symlink and modify SELinux labels on arbitrary system files. This could undermine SELinux mandatory access control protections on critical files such as /etc/shadow.
EUVD state
Present in the current official mapping
Known exploitation
Not present in the current ENISA EUVD known-exploited dataset. This is not proof of no exploitation.
ENISA score
4.4 · CVSS 3.1
Advisory evidence
No linked advisory details stored yet
Recommended actionScheduled
Medium technical severity with no CISA KEV confirmation; remediate through the normal risk-based patch cycle unless local exposure raises the priority.
Patch available
01
What, why and how
A TOCTOU (Time-of-Check-Time-of-Use) race condition vulnerability was found in the fixfiles script in policycoreutils. When running fixfiles relabel or fixfiles restore, the script used find and chcon commands to locate and relabel unlabeled files under /tmp and other directories. A local attacker could exploit a race window between the file discovery and the label change operation by swapping directory components with symlinks, causing chcon to follow the symlink and modify SELinux labels on arbitrary system files. This could undermine SELinux mandatory access control protections on critical files such as /etc/shadow.
What
A TOCTOU (Time-of-Check-Time-of-Use) race condition vulnerability was found in the fixfiles script in policycoreutils. When running fixfiles relabel or fixfiles restore, the script used find and chcon commands to locate and relabel unlabeled files under /tmp and other directories. A local attacker could exploit a race window between the file discovery and the label change operation by swapping directory components with symlinks, causing chcon to follow the symlink and modify SELinux labels on arbitrary system files. This could undermine SELinux mandatory access control protections on critical files such as /etc/shadow.
Why
The product checks the state of a resource before using that resource, but the resource's state can change between the check and the use in a way that invalidates the results of the check.
How
An attacker operating through local access may attempt exploitation with low privileges. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.
What
A TOCTOU (Time-of-Check-Time-of-Use) race condition vulnerability was found in the fixfiles script in policycoreutils. When running fixfiles relabel or fixfiles restore, the script used find and chcon commands to locate and relabel unlabeled files under /tmp and other directories. A local attacker could exploit a race window between the file discovery and the label change operation by swapping directory components with symlinks, causing chcon to follow the symlink and modify SELinux labels on arbitrary system files. This could undermine SELinux mandatory access control protections on critical files such as /etc/shadow.
Why
The product checks the state of a resource before using that resource, but the resource's state can change between the check and the use in a way that invalidates the results of the check.
How
An attacker operating through local access may attempt exploitation with low privileges. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.
02
Exploit reality and attack path
CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.
Observed exploitation ?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.No confirmed evidence
No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.
Public PoC / exploit material ?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.None recorded
No exploit-tagged reference or CISA SSVC proof-of-concept state is currently recorded. Research may still exist outside the structured feeds.
Likely attack path
local access → Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition → cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor
Attack surface
Local
Privileges required
Low: a basic authenticated account is required
User interaction
Required interaction required
Attack complexity
High: exploitation depends on specific conditions
Security boundary
Unchanged: impact remains within the vulnerable component's security authority
Weakness ?CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness.
CWE-367: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition. The product checks the state of a resource before using that resource, but the resource's state can change between the check and the use in a way that invalidates the results of the check.
CVSS vector ?CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Common Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.
AVLocalAttack vector: The attacker needs local access to the vulnerable system.ACHighAttack complexity: Successful exploitation depends on specific conditions outside the attacker's direct control.PRLowPrivileges required: The attacker needs basic user-level privileges.UIRequiredUser interaction: Another user must perform an action for exploitation to succeed.SUnchangedScope: The security impact remains within the vulnerable component's authority.CNoneConfidentiality impact: No direct loss is represented by this metric.IHighIntegrity impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.ANoneAvailability impact: No direct loss is represented by this metric.
Post-exploitation / living off the land
The issue can support a local privilege or sandbox boundary transition; normal system utilities may then be available in the gained context.
CWE-367
A
Official authority intelligence
Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.
ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2026-54398Official EUVD mapping
A TOCTOU (Time-of-Check-Time-of-Use) race condition vulnerability was found in the fixfiles script in policycoreutils. When running fixfiles relabel or fixfiles restore, the script used find and chcon commands to locate and relabel unlabeled files under /tmp and other directories. A local attacker could exploit a race window between the file discovery and the label change operation by swapping directory components with symlinks, causing chcon to follow the symlink and modify SELinux labels on arbitrary system files. This could undermine SELinux mandatory access control protections on critical files such as /etc/shadow.
Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.
Status ?Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change.
Affected versionsThe structured affected or fixed version information changed.
Before
policycoreutils-dbus as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10; policycoreutils-devel as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10; policycoreutils-gui as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10; policycoreutils-newrole as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10; policycoreutils-python-utils as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10; policycoreutils-restorecond as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10; policycoreutils-sandbox as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10; policycoreutils.src as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10; python3-policycoreutils as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10; policycoreutils as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6; policycoreutils-gui as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6; policycoreutils-newrole as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6; policycoreutils-python as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6; policycoreutils-sandbox as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6; policycoreutils.src as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6; policycoreutils as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7; policycoreutils-devel as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7; policycoreutils-gui as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7; policycoreutils-newrole as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7; policycoreutils-python as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7; policycoreutils-restorecond as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7; policycoreutils-sandbox as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7; policycoreutils.src as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7; policycoreutils-dbus as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; policycoreutils-devel as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; policycoreutils-gui as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; policycoreutils-newrole as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; policycoreutils-python-utils as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; policycoreutils-restorecond as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; policycoreutils-sandbox as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; and 12 more · Fixed: policycoreutils-main@aarch64 as a component of Red Hat Hardened Images; policycoreutils-main@noarch as a component of Red Hat Hardened Images; policycoreutils-main@src as a component of Red Hat Hardened Images; policycoreutils-main@x86_64 as a component of Red Hat Hardened Images
After
policycoreutils-dbus as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10; policycoreutils-devel as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10; policycoreutils-gui as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10; policycoreutils-newrole as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10; policycoreutils-python-utils as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10; policycoreutils-restorecond as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10; policycoreutils-sandbox as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10; policycoreutils.src as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10; python3-policycoreutils as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10; policycoreutils as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6; policycoreutils-gui as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6; policycoreutils-newrole as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6; policycoreutils-python as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6; policycoreutils-sandbox as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6; policycoreutils.src as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6; policycoreutils as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7; policycoreutils-devel as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7; policycoreutils-gui as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7; policycoreutils-newrole as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7; policycoreutils-python as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7; policycoreutils-restorecond as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7; policycoreutils-sandbox as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7; policycoreutils.src as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7; policycoreutils-dbus as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; policycoreutils-devel as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; policycoreutils-gui as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; policycoreutils-newrole as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; policycoreutils-python-utils as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; policycoreutils-restorecond as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; policycoreutils-sandbox as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; and 13 more · Fixed: policycoreutils-main@aarch64 as a component of Red Hat Hardened Images; policycoreutils-main@noarch as a component of Red Hat Hardened Images; policycoreutils-main@src as a component of Red Hat Hardened Images; policycoreutils-main@x86_64 as a component of Red Hat Hardened Images
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
CVE
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
CVSS
Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
EPSS
Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
CWE
Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
CNA
CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
CISA ADP
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
NVD
National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
CERT / CSIRT
A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
PoC
Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
CSAF
Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
LoTL
Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.
