Common Weakness Enumeration

    CWE Definition / CWE-61

    CWE-61: UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following

    The product, when opening a file or directory, does not sufficiently account for when the file is a symbolic link that resolves to a target outside of the intended control sphere. This could allow an attacker to cause the product to operate on unauthorized files.

    Published:19 Jul 2006
    Organization:MITRE
    Modified:11 Dec 2025

    Related Weakness

    CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')

    CWE-362: Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization ('Race Condition')

    CWE-340: Generation of Predictable Numbers or Identifiers

    CWE-386: Symbolic Name not Mapping to Correct Object

    CWE-732: Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource