SYSTEM privilege escalation via unlocked deletion parent
Published Sep 21, 2026 · Updated Sep 21, 2026
TOCTOU file deletion in BleachBit before 6.0.1 allows local users to gain SYSTEM privileges during elevated Windows cleaning. The Windows deletion path checks a target and removes it without locking or revalidating its parent, letting a junction swap and native symlink redirect deletion to an attacker-selected file. A local unprivileged account must race an administrator-elevated cleaning run; arbitrary privileged file deletion can then be chained with Windows Installer behavior for SYSTEM access.
Summary
What happened
TOCTOU file deletion in BleachBit before 6.0.1 allows local users to gain SYSTEM privileges during elevated Windows cleaning. The Windows deletion path checks a target and removes it without locking or revalidating its parent, letting a junction swap and native symlink redirect deletion to an attacker-selected file. A local unprivileged account must race an administrator-elevated cleaning run; arbitrary privileged file deletion can then be chained with Windows Installer behavior for SYSTEM access.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-55567
- Published
- Sep 21, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 21, 2026
- Vendor
- BleachBit
- Product
- BleachBit
- Classifications
- CWE-367, T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 21, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Sep 21, 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.
- Affected versionversion=< 6.0.1
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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.
Activity data is delayed. The latest report is Sep 28, 2026.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- BleachBit_eop proof of conceptproof of concept · demonstrated
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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