Summary
Race Condition Enabling Link Following and Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition in removedirall
The remove_dir_all crate is a Rust library that offers additional features over the Rust standard library fs::remove_dir_all function. It suffers the same class of failure as the code it was layering over: TOCTOU race conditions, with the ability to cause arbitrary paths to be deleted by substituting a symlink for a path after the type of the path was checked.
Thanks to the Rust security team for identifying the problem and alerting us to it.
Impact
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is GHSA-MC8H-8Q98-G5HR? GHSA-MC8H-8Q98-G5HR is a low-severity security vulnerability in remove_dir_all (rust), affecting versions < 0.8.0. It is fixed in 0.8.0.
- Which versions of remove_dir_all are affected by GHSA-MC8H-8Q98-G5HR? remove_dir_all (rust) versions < 0.8.0 is affected.
- Is there a fix for GHSA-MC8H-8Q98-G5HR? Yes. GHSA-MC8H-8Q98-G5HR is fixed in 0.8.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is GHSA-MC8H-8Q98-G5HR exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether GHSA-MC8H-8Q98-G5HR is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether GHSA-MC8H-8Q98-G5HR is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix GHSA-MC8H-8Q98-G5HR? Upgrade
remove_dir_allto 0.8.0 or later.