CVE-2026-41991
It was discovered that Gzip's gzexe utility handled temporary files in an insecure manner. When the mktemp utility was not available, gzexe constructed a temporary file path based on the process ID, which could be predicted. A local attacker could possibly use this issue to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack. (CVE-2026-41991) It was discovered that Gzip incorrectly handled certain compressed files. An attacker could possibly use this issue to obtain sensitive information or cause Gzip to crash, resulting in a denial of service. (CVE-2026-41992)
CSIRTS triage
- What
- Insecure handling of temporary files could allow a local attacker to overwrite arbitrary files.
- Who is affected
- Users of Gzip utilities.
- Urgency
- Remediation is important to prevent potential file overwriting attacks.
- Action
- Update Gzip to the latest version.
AI-assisted analysis generated from the source advisory — verify against the original.
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Exploitation outlook
- Low exploitation risk0.10% 30-day exploitation probability — currently an unlikely target, but scores change as exploit code circulates. Riskier than 1% of all EPSS-scored CVEs.
Advisory coverage (4)
- medium[UPDATE] [medium] gzip: Multiple vulnerabilitiescert-bund · 2026-07-07
- unknownUSN-8512-1: Gzip vulnerabilitiesubuntu · 2026-07-06
- mediumCVE-2026-41991: GNU gzip contains a vulnerability in the gzexe utility related to insecure temporary file hand…nvd · 2026-06-29
- unknownCVE-2026-41991: Predictable Temporary File in GNU gzipmsrc · 2026-06-09
External references
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