USN-8229-1: sed vulnerability

Publication date

4 May 2026

Overview

sed could be made to overwrite files.


Packages

  • sed - GNU stream editor for filtering/transforming text

Details

Michał Majchrowicz and Marcin Wyczechowski discovered that sed incorrectly
handled symbolic links when performing in-place edits. A local attacker
could possibly use this issue to overwrite arbitrary files.

Michał Majchrowicz and Marcin Wyczechowski discovered that sed incorrectly
handled symbolic links when performing in-place edits. A local attacker
could possibly use this issue to overwrite arbitrary files.

Update instructions

In general, a standard system update will make all the necessary changes.

Learn more about how to get the fixes.

The problem can be corrected by updating your system to the following package versions:

Ubuntu Release Package Version
26.04 LTS resolute sed –  4.9-2ubuntu1
25.10 questing sed –  4.9-2ubuntu0.25.10.1
24.04 LTS noble sed –  4.9-2ubuntu0.24.04.1
22.04 LTS jammy sed –  4.8-1ubuntu2.1

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