Description
File::Rotate::Simple versions before 0.4.0 for Perl create the target of dangling symlinks when rotating files. When the file to be rotated is a symbolic link to a missing file, and the touch option is enabled, then the rotate method assumes that the file is absent (since the existence check is against the target), and does not rotate it. But it touches the file, which creates the target. An attacker that has the ability to create the symlink can use this to create an arbitrary file with permissions of the process rotating the files (which may be different from the process that normally writes to the log file that is being rotated). Note that the touch option is disabled by default.
References4
Metrics
- CVSS 3.1
-
2.5
LOW
Score source: CNA
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N - EPSS — exploit probability
- 0% percentile: 3 · as of 12 November 2026
- CWE
- CWE-59
Could this be exploited in your environment?
A patch closes the known hole. A penetration test shows what an attacker can still reach — with proof.