[REVISION HISTORY]

Ubuntu transition to Rust-based core utilities

Updated 1 time since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-09-18 16:15 UTC → 2026-10-01 22:23 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Canonical is finalizing a multi-year migration of Ubuntu core system utilities from GNU Coreutils to Rust-based versions provided by the uutils project. The transition, intended to enhance memory safety and mitigate vulnerabilities like buffer overflows, will be completed with the release of Ubuntu 26.10 on October 15, 2026. The final stage of this rollout involves replacing the last three remaining GNU tools—cp, mv, and rm—with their Rust counterparts. This process faced previous delays; while earlier versions introduced Rust tools, the rollout for the 26.04 LTS version was paused due to compatibility concerns and security issues. A security audit by Zellic identified 113 issues, including 44 CVEs related to Time-of-Check-to-Time-of-Use (TOCTOU) vulnerabilities, though most have since been resolved. In addition to security improvements, the switch changes the underlying licensing from GPLv3 to the MIT license. Developers are advised to test shell scripts for behavioral differences between the GNU and uutils implementations. On October 1, 2026, Canonical released the beta version of Ubuntu 26.10, codenamed ‘Stonking Stingray’. This beta marks a major technical milestone by introducing the fully Rust-based coreutils tree, including the final staples: cp, mv, and rm. The beta also features official RISC-V support for SpacemiT K3 and SiFive BigSky boards, the Linux 7.3 release candidate kernel, GNOME 51, and a shift from dbus-daemon to dbus-broker.

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