# CVE-2026-49421: unlinkat(2) ignores AT_RESOLVE_BENEATH flag

> A kernel bug in FreeBSD allows attackers to bypass path containment restrictions and delete files outside the intended directory tree.

- **Severity:** High 7.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 19 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 26 Aug 2026

## What is CVE-2026-49421?

CVE-2026-49421 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Freebsd Freebsd, published on 19 Aug 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The kernel function that implements unlinkat(2) and funlinkat(2) validated the AT_RESOLVE_BENEATH flag but failed to pass it through to the underlying path lookup.  The flag was silently dropped, so path resolution was not actually restricted.

A process that uses AT_RESOLVE_BENEATH with unlinkat(2) or funlinkat(2) to confine path resolution can in fact resolve paths above the starting directory.  A caller relying on this flag for path containment may delete files outside the intended directory tree.

Weakness: CWE-273 (Improper Check for Dropped Privileges)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-49421?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Freebsd Freebsd.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-49421?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-49421 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-49421 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-49421 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Freebsd Freebsd

- [CVE-2018-17160](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-17160/): Memory corruption in FreeBSD (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2014-3954](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-3954/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2006-4304](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2006-4304/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2006-0226](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2006-0226/): Integer overflow in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2004-0002](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2004-0002/): Denial of service in n/a (critical 10.0)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-49421 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-49421 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Freebsd Freebsd, published on 19 Aug 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-49421 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Freebsd Freebsd. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-49421/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-49421/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-49421
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-49421
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-49421

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-49421/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.