CVE-2026-49421

File deletion via dropped AT_RESOLVE_BENEATH

Published Aug 19, 2026 · Updated Aug 19, 2026

Path-containment bypass in unlinkat(2) and funlinkat(2) in FreeBSD allows local users to delete files outside a confined directory tree. In kern_funlinkat_ex() in sys/kern/vfs_syscalls.c, the kernel accepts AT_RESOLVE_BENEATH but passes 0 or strips AT_REMOVEDIR before calling kern_funlinkat() or kern_frmdirat(), so the underlying lookup never enforces the beneath-only restriction. Exploitation requires a local process that reaches these syscalls and relies on AT_RESOLVE_BENEATH for sandboxing; affected releases are 14.3-RELEASE before p16, 14.4-RELEASE before p7, 15.0-RELEASE before p11, and 15.1-RELEASE before p1.

CVSS severityUnavailable
Unscored
EPSS probability0.09%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Path-containment bypass in unlinkat(2) and funlinkat(2) in FreeBSD allows local users to delete files outside a confined directory tree. In kern_funlinkat_ex() in sys/kern/vfs_syscalls.c, the kernel accepts AT_RESOLVE_BENEATH but passes 0 or strips AT_REMOVEDIR before calling kern_funlinkat() or kern_frmdirat(), so the underlying lookup never enforces the beneath-only restriction. Exploitation requires a local process that reaches these syscalls and relies on AT_RESOLVE_BENEATH for sandboxing; affected releases are 14.3-RELEASE before p16, 14.4-RELEASE before p7, 15.0-RELEASE before p11, and 15.1-RELEASE before p1.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-49421
Published
Aug 19, 2026
Updated
Aug 19, 2026
Vendor
The FreeBSD Project
Product
FreeBSD
Classifications
T1485
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 19, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 19, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=14.3-RELEASE <p16
  2. Affected versionversion=14.4-RELEASE <p7
  3. Affected versionversion=15.0-RELEASE <p11
  4. Affected versionversion=15.1-RELEASE <p1

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The FreeBSD Project · FreeBSDversion=14.3-RELEASE <p16; version=14.4-RELEASE <p7; version=15.0-RELEASE <p11; version=15.1-RELEASE <p1

Published CVSS scores

No CVSS assessment is available in this record.

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

T1485Data Destruction

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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