CVE-2026-6842: Nano Dir Perm Flaw Allows Bad .desktop Launcher
CVE-2026-6842 Published on April 22, 2026
Nano: nano: local attacker can inject malicious .desktop launcher due to insecure directory permissions
A flaw was found in nano. In environments with permissive umask settings, a local attacker can exploit incorrect directory permissions (0777 instead of 0700) for the `~/.local` directory. This allows the attacker to inject a malicious `.desktop` launcher, which could lead to unintended actions or information disclosure if the launcher is subsequently processed.
Vulnerability Analysis
CVE-2026-6842 is exploitable with local system access, and requires small amount of user privileges. This vulnerability is consided to have a high level of attack complexity. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to have no impact on confidentiality, with no impact on integrity, and no impact on availability.
Timeline
Reported to Red Hat.
Made public.
Weakness Type
Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource
The product specifies permissions for a security-critical resource in a way that allows that resource to be read or modified by unintended actors. When a resource is given a permissions setting that provides access to a wider range of actors than required, it could lead to the exposure of sensitive information, or the modification of that resource by unintended parties. This is especially dangerous when the resource is related to program configuration, execution or sensitive user data.
Products Associated with CVE-2026-6842
stack.watch emails you whenever new vulnerabilities are published in Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) or Red Hat Openshift. Just hit a watch button to start following.
