A logic error in the split utility of uutils coreutils causes the corruption of output filenames when provided with non-UTF-8 prefix or suffix inputs. The implementation utilizes to_string_lossy() when constructing chunk filenames, which automatically rewrites invalid byte sequences into the UTF-8 replacement character (U+FFFD). This behavior diverges from GNU split, which preserves raw pathname bytes intact. In environments utilizing non-UTF-8 encodings, this vulnerability leads to the creation of files with incorrect names, potentially causing filename collisions, broken automation, or the misdirection of output data.

A vulnerability exists in the chroot utility of uutils coreutils when using the --userspec option. The utility resolves the user specification via getpwnam() after entering the chroot but before dropping root privileges. On glibc-based systems, this can trigger the Name Service Switch (NSS) to load shared libraries (e.g., libnss_*.so.2) from the new root directory. If the NEWROOT is writable by an attacker, they can inject a malicious NSS module to execute arbitrary code as root, facilitating a full container escape or privilege escalation.

The cp utility in uutils coreutils fails to properly handle setuid and setgid bits when ownership preservation fails. When copying with the -p (preserve) flag, the utility applies the source mode bits even if the chown operation is unsuccessful. This can result in a user-owned copy retaining original privileged bits, creating unexpected privileged executables that violate local security policies. This differs from GNU cp, which clears these bits when ownership cannot be preserved.

A vulnerability in uutils coreutils mkfifo allows for the unauthorized modification of permissions on existing files. When mkfifo fails to create a FIFO because a file already exists at the target path, it fails to terminate the operation for that path and continues to execute a follow-up set_permissions call. This results in the existing file's permissions being changed to the default mode (often 644 after umask), potentially exposing sensitive files such as SSH private keys to other users on the system.

The safe_traversal module in uutils coreutils, which provides protection against Time-of-Check to Time-of-Use (TOCTOU) symlink races using file-descriptor-relative syscalls, is incorrectly limited to Linux targets. On other Unix-like systems such as macOS and FreeBSD, the utility fails to utilize these protections, leaving directory traversal operations vulnerable to symlink race conditions.

A logic error in the ln utility of uutils coreutils allows the utility to dereference a symbolic link target even when the --no-dereference (or -n) flag is explicitly provided. The implementation previously only honored the "no-dereference" intent if the --force (overwrite) mode was also enabled. This flaw causes ln to follow a symbolic link that points to a directory and create new links inside that target directory instead of treating the symbolic link itself as the destination. In environments where a privileged user or system script uses ln -n to update a symlink, a local attacker could manipulate existing symbolic links to redirect file creation into sensitive directories, potentially leading to unauthorized file creation or system misconfiguration.

An argument parsing error in the kill utility of uutils coreutils incorrectly interprets kill -1 as a request to send the default signal (SIGTERM) to PID -1. Sending a signal to PID -1 causes the kernel to terminate all processes visible to the caller, potentially leading to a system crash or massive process termination. This differs from GNU coreutils, which correctly recognizes -1 as a signal number in this context and would instead report a missing PID argument.

A flaw in the ChownExecutor used by uutils coreutils chown and chgrp causes the utilities to return an incorrect exit code during recursive operations. The final exit code is determined only by the last file processed. If the last operation succeeds, the command returns 0 even if earlier ownership or group changes failed due to permission errors. This can lead to security misconfigurations where administrative scripts incorrectly assume that ownership has been successfully transferred across a directory tree.

The mknod utility in uutils coreutils fails to handle security labels atomically by creating device nodes before setting the SELinux context. If labeling fails, the utility attempts cleanup using std::fs::remove_dir, which cannot remove device nodes or FIFOs. This leaves mislabeled nodes behind with incorrect default contexts, potentially allowing unauthorized access to device nodes that should have been restricted by mandatory access controls.

A logic error in the cut utility of uutils coreutils causes the program to incorrectly interpret the literal two-byte string '' (two single quotes) as an empty delimiter. The implementation mistakenly maps this string to the NUL character for both the -d (delimiter) and --output-delimiter options. This vulnerability can lead to silent data corruption or logic errors in automated scripts and data pipelines that process strings containing these characters, as the utility may unintentionally split or join data on NUL bytes rather than the intended literal characters.