Description
A logic error in the tr utility of uutils coreutils causes the program to incorrectly define the [:graph:] and [:print:] character classes. The implementation mistakenly includes the ASCII space character (0x20) in the [:graph:] class and excludes it from the [:print:] class, effectively reversing the standard behavior established by POSIX and GNU coreutils. This vulnerability leads to unintended data modification or loss when the utility is used in automated scripts or data-cleaning pipelines that rely on standard character class semantics. For example, a command executed to delete all graphical characters while intending to preserve whitespace will incorrectly delete all ASCII spaces, potentially resulting in data corruption or logic failures in downstream processing.
Problem types
CWE-684: Incorrect Provision of Specified Functionality
Product status
Any version before 0.8.0
Credits
Zellic
References
github.com/uutils/coreutils/pull/11405
github.com/uutils/coreutils/releases/tag/0.8.0