CVE-2026-41991
LOWDescription
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
How to fix
This vulnerability affects an unusually large number of packages. The highest-confidence fixes are shown above; the full list is longer. Check the referenced advisories for complete coverage.
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Remediation is compiled from vendor and distribution security advisories. Always confirm against the linked source for your exact version and platform.
Ensure that the mktemp utility (provided by the coreutils package) is available in PATH when using the gzexe utility. On Red Hat Enterprise Linux, mktemp is installed by default and no additional action is needed.
Source: Red HatCVSS v3 Vector
Exploitability
Impact
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Exploit Intelligence
Low risk: more likely to be exploited than 8% of all known CVEs.
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-377 vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2015-5224 | Critical | 9.8 | 4.5% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2026-20204 | High | 7.1 | 3.1% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2018-3710 | High | 7.8 | 2.8% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2017-16024 | Medium | 6.5 | 2.6% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2012-2666 | Critical | 9.8 | 1.9% | - | - |
| CVE-2018-16494 | High | 8.8 | 1.9% | - | Fix |
Common questions
How do I fix CVE-2026-41991?
Published advisories record a fix for 18 affected products. The "How to fix" section on this page lists the fixed version and source advisory for each one, so apply the entry matching what you actually run.
Is CVE-2026-41991 being actively exploited?
Not that we know of. CVE-2026-41991 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 0.19% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 8% of all scored CVEs.
How severe is CVE-2026-41991?
CVE-2026-41991 has a CVSS v3 base score of 4.7, rated low. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.
What does CVE-2026-41991 affect?
Published advisories record a fix for gzip (Debian), gzip (Rocky), gzip (Red Hat / RHEL), gzip-debuginfo (Red Hat / RHEL), and 14 more. Only products with a sourced advisory are listed, so treat this as what we can cite rather than a complete inventory.
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This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2026-07-01.