diff --git a/src/uu/du/Cargo.toml b/src/uu/du/Cargo.toml
index 7a396403e..a8887aedb 100644
--- a/src/uu/du/Cargo.toml
+++ b/src/uu/du/Cargo.toml
@@ -21,7 +21,13 @@ path = "src/du.rs"
 # For the --exclude & --exclude-from options
 glob = { workspace = true }
 clap = { workspace = true }
-uucore = { workspace = true, features = ["format", "fsext", "parser", "time"] }
+uucore = { workspace = true, features = [
+  "format",
+  "fsext",
+  "parser",
+  "time",
+  "safe-traversal",
+] }
 thiserror = { workspace = true }
 fluent = { workspace = true }
 
diff --git a/src/uu/du/src/du.rs b/src/uu/du/src/du.rs
index dba96aa63..9f58c89db 100644
--- a/src/uu/du/src/du.rs
+++ b/src/uu/du/src/du.rs
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 //
 // For the full copyright and license information, please view the LICENSE
 // file that was distributed with this source code.
+// spell-checker:ignore fstatat openat dirfd
 
 use clap::{Arg, ArgAction, ArgMatches, Command, builder::PossibleValue};
 use glob::Pattern;
@@ -25,6 +26,8 @@ use uucore::display::{Quotable, print_verbatim};
 use uucore::error::{FromIo, UError, UResult, USimpleError, set_exit_code};
 use uucore::fsext::{MetadataTimeField, metadata_get_time};
 use uucore::line_ending::LineEnding;
+#[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
+use uucore::safe_traversal::DirFd;
 use uucore::translate;
 
 use uucore::parser::parse_glob;
@@ -160,6 +163,44 @@ impl Stat {
             metadata,
         })
     }
+
+    /// Create a Stat using safe traversal methods with `DirFd` for the root directory
+    #[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
+    fn new_from_dirfd(
+        dir_fd: &DirFd,
+        full_path: &Path,
+        _options: &TraversalOptions,
+    ) -> std::io::Result<Self> {
+        // Get metadata for the directory itself using fstat
+        let safe_metadata = dir_fd.metadata()?;
+
+        // Create file info from the safe metadata
+        let file_info = safe_metadata.file_info();
+        let file_info_option = Some(FileInfo {
+            file_id: file_info.inode() as u128,
+            dev_id: file_info.device(),
+        });
+
+        let blocks = safe_metadata.blocks();
+
+        // Create a temporary std::fs::Metadata by reading the same path
+        // This is still needed for compatibility but should work since we're dealing with
+        // the root path which should be accessible
+        let std_metadata = fs::symlink_metadata(full_path)?;
+
+        Ok(Self {
+            path: full_path.to_path_buf(),
+            size: if safe_metadata.is_dir() {
+                0
+            } else {
+                safe_metadata.len()
+            },
+            blocks,
+            inodes: 1,
+            inode: file_info_option,
+            metadata: std_metadata,
+        })
+    }
 }
 
 #[cfg(not(windows))]
@@ -254,15 +295,301 @@ fn read_block_size(s: Option<&str>) -> UResult<u64> {
     }
 }
 
+#[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
+// For now, implement safe_du only on Linux
+// This is done for Ubuntu but should be extended to other platforms that support openat
+fn safe_du(
+    path: &Path,
+    options: &TraversalOptions,
+    depth: usize,
+    seen_inodes: &mut HashSet<FileInfo>,
+    print_tx: &mpsc::Sender<UResult<StatPrintInfo>>,
+    parent_fd: Option<&DirFd>,
+) -> Result<Stat, Box<mpsc::SendError<UResult<StatPrintInfo>>>> {
+    // Get initial stat for this path - use DirFd if available to avoid path length issues
+    let mut my_stat = if let Some(parent_fd) = parent_fd {
+        // We have a parent fd, this is a subdirectory - use openat
+        let dir_name = path.file_name().unwrap_or(path.as_os_str());
+        match parent_fd.metadata_at(dir_name, false) {
+            Ok(safe_metadata) => {
+                // Create Stat from safe metadata
+                let file_info = safe_metadata.file_info();
+                let file_info_option = Some(FileInfo {
+                    file_id: file_info.inode() as u128,
+                    dev_id: file_info.device(),
+                });
+                let blocks = safe_metadata.blocks();
+
+                // For compatibility, still try to get std::fs::Metadata
+                // but fallback to a minimal approach if it fails
+                let std_metadata = fs::symlink_metadata(path).unwrap_or_else(|_| {
+                    // If we can't get std metadata, create a minimal fake one
+                    // This should rarely happen but provides a fallback
+                    fs::symlink_metadata("/").expect("root should be accessible")
+                });
+
+                Stat {
+                    path: path.to_path_buf(),
+                    size: if safe_metadata.is_dir() {
+                        0
+                    } else {
+                        safe_metadata.len()
+                    },
+                    blocks,
+                    inodes: 1,
+                    inode: file_info_option,
+                    metadata: std_metadata,
+                }
+            }
+            Err(e) => {
+                let error = e.map_err_context(
+                    || translate!("du-error-cannot-access", "path" => path.quote()),
+                );
+                if let Err(send_error) = print_tx.send(Err(error)) {
+                    return Err(Box::new(send_error));
+                }
+                return Err(Box::new(mpsc::SendError(Err(USimpleError::new(
+                    0,
+                    "Error already handled",
+                )))));
+            }
+        }
+    } else {
+        // This is the initial directory - try regular Stat::new first, then fallback to DirFd
+        match Stat::new(path, None, options) {
+            Ok(s) => s,
+            Err(_e) => {
+                // Try using our new DirFd method for the root directory
+                match DirFd::open(path) {
+                    Ok(dir_fd) => match Stat::new_from_dirfd(&dir_fd, path, options) {
+                        Ok(s) => s,
+                        Err(e) => {
+                            let error = e.map_err_context(
+                                || translate!("du-error-cannot-access", "path" => path.quote()),
+                            );
+                            if let Err(send_error) = print_tx.send(Err(error)) {
+                                return Err(Box::new(send_error));
+                            }
+                            return Err(Box::new(mpsc::SendError(Err(USimpleError::new(
+                                0,
+                                "Error already handled",
+                            )))));
+                        }
+                    },
+                    Err(e) => {
+                        let error = e.map_err_context(
+                            || translate!("du-error-cannot-access", "path" => path.quote()),
+                        );
+                        if let Err(send_error) = print_tx.send(Err(error)) {
+                            return Err(Box::new(send_error));
+                        }
+                        return Err(Box::new(mpsc::SendError(Err(USimpleError::new(
+                            0,
+                            "Error already handled",
+                        )))));
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    };
+    if !my_stat.metadata.is_dir() {
+        return Ok(my_stat);
+    }
+
+    // Open the directory using DirFd
+    let open_result = match parent_fd {
+        Some(parent) => parent.open_subdir(path.file_name().unwrap_or(path.as_os_str())),
+        None => DirFd::open(path),
+    };
+
+    let dir_fd = match open_result {
+        Ok(fd) => fd,
+        Err(e) => {
+            print_tx.send(Err(e.map_err_context(
+                || translate!("du-error-cannot-read-directory", "path" => path.quote()),
+            )))?;
+            return Ok(my_stat);
+        }
+    };
+
+    // Read directory entries
+    let entries = match dir_fd.read_dir() {
+        Ok(entries) => entries,
+        Err(e) => {
+            print_tx.send(Err(e.map_err_context(
+                || translate!("du-error-cannot-read-directory", "path" => path.quote()),
+            )))?;
+            return Ok(my_stat);
+        }
+    };
+
+    'file_loop: for entry_name in entries {
+        let entry_path = path.join(&entry_name);
+
+        // First get the lstat (without following symlinks) to check if it's a symlink
+        let lstat = match dir_fd.stat_at(&entry_name, false) {
+            Ok(stat) => stat,
+            Err(e) => {
+                print_tx.send(Err(e.map_err_context(
+                    || translate!("du-error-cannot-access", "path" => entry_path.quote()),
+                )))?;
+                continue;
+            }
+        };
+
+        // Check if it's a symlink
+        const S_IFMT: u32 = 0o170_000;
+        const S_IFDIR: u32 = 0o040_000;
+        const S_IFLNK: u32 = 0o120_000;
+        let is_symlink = (lstat.st_mode & S_IFMT) == S_IFLNK;
+
+        // Handle symlinks with -L option
+        // For safe traversal with -L, we skip symlinks to directories entirely
+        // and let the non-safe traversal handle them at the top level
+        let (entry_stat, is_dir) = if is_symlink && options.dereference == Deref::All {
+            // Skip symlinks to directories when using safe traversal with -L
+            // They will be handled by regular traversal
+            continue;
+        } else {
+            let is_dir = (lstat.st_mode & S_IFMT) == S_IFDIR;
+            (lstat, is_dir)
+        };
+
+        let file_info = if entry_stat.st_ino != 0 {
+            Some(FileInfo {
+                file_id: entry_stat.st_ino as u128,
+                dev_id: entry_stat.st_dev,
+            })
+        } else {
+            None
+        };
+
+        // For safe traversal, we need to handle stats differently
+        // We can't use std::fs::Metadata since that requires the full path
+        let this_stat = if is_dir {
+            // For directories, recurse using safe_du
+            Stat {
+                path: entry_path.clone(),
+                size: 0,
+                blocks: entry_stat.st_blocks as u64,
+                inodes: 1,
+                inode: file_info,
+                // We need a fake metadata - create one from symlink_metadata of parent
+                // This is a workaround since we can't get real metadata without the full path
+                metadata: my_stat.metadata.clone(),
+            }
+        } else {
+            // For files
+            Stat {
+                path: entry_path.clone(),
+                size: entry_stat.st_size as u64,
+                blocks: entry_stat.st_blocks as u64,
+                inodes: 1,
+                inode: file_info,
+                metadata: my_stat.metadata.clone(),
+            }
+        };
+
+        // Check excludes
+        for pattern in &options.excludes {
+            if pattern.matches(&this_stat.path.to_string_lossy())
+                || pattern.matches(&entry_name.to_string_lossy())
+            {
+                if options.verbose {
+                    println!(
+                        "{}",
+                        translate!("du-verbose-ignored", "path" => this_stat.path.quote())
+                    );
+                }
+                continue 'file_loop;
+            }
+        }
+
+        // Handle inodes
+        if let Some(inode) = this_stat.inode {
+            if seen_inodes.contains(&inode) && (!options.count_links || !options.all) {
+                if options.count_links && !options.all {
+                    my_stat.inodes += 1;
+                }
+                continue;
+            }
+            seen_inodes.insert(inode);
+        }
+
+        // Process directories recursively
+        if is_dir {
+            if options.one_file_system {
+                if let (Some(this_inode), Some(my_inode)) = (this_stat.inode, my_stat.inode) {
+                    if this_inode.dev_id != my_inode.dev_id {
+                        continue;
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+
+            let this_stat = safe_du(
+                &entry_path,
+                options,
+                depth + 1,
+                seen_inodes,
+                print_tx,
+                Some(&dir_fd),
+            )?;
+
+            if !options.separate_dirs {
+                my_stat.size += this_stat.size;
+                my_stat.blocks += this_stat.blocks;
+                my_stat.inodes += this_stat.inodes;
+            }
+            print_tx.send(Ok(StatPrintInfo {
+                stat: this_stat,
+                depth: depth + 1,
+            }))?;
+        } else {
+            my_stat.size += this_stat.size;
+            my_stat.blocks += this_stat.blocks;
+            my_stat.inodes += 1;
+            if options.all {
+                print_tx.send(Ok(StatPrintInfo {
+                    stat: this_stat,
+                    depth: depth + 1,
+                }))?;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    Ok(my_stat)
+}
+
 // this takes `my_stat` to avoid having to stat files multiple times.
+// Only used on non-Linux platforms
+// Regular traversal using std::fs
+// Used on non-Linux platforms and as fallback for symlinks on Linux
 #[allow(clippy::cognitive_complexity)]
-fn du(
+fn du_regular(
     mut my_stat: Stat,
     options: &TraversalOptions,
     depth: usize,
     seen_inodes: &mut HashSet<FileInfo>,
     print_tx: &mpsc::Sender<UResult<StatPrintInfo>>,
+    ancestors: Option<&mut HashSet<FileInfo>>,
+    symlink_depth: Option<usize>,
 ) -> Result<Stat, Box<mpsc::SendError<UResult<StatPrintInfo>>>> {
+    let mut default_ancestors = HashSet::new();
+    let ancestors = ancestors.unwrap_or(&mut default_ancestors);
+    let symlink_depth = symlink_depth.unwrap_or(0);
+    // Maximum symlink depth to prevent infinite loops
+    const MAX_SYMLINK_DEPTH: usize = 40;
+
+    // Add current directory to ancestors if it's a directory
+    let my_inode = if my_stat.metadata.is_dir() {
+        my_stat.inode
+    } else {
+        None
+    };
+
+    if let Some(inode) = my_inode {
+        ancestors.insert(inode);
+    }
     if my_stat.metadata.is_dir() {
         let read = match fs::read_dir(&my_stat.path) {
             Ok(read) => read,
@@ -277,8 +604,46 @@ fn du(
         'file_loop: for f in read {
             match f {
                 Ok(entry) => {
-                    match Stat::new(&entry.path(), Some(&entry), options) {
+                    let entry_path = entry.path();
+
+                    // Check if this is a symlink when using -L
+                    let mut current_symlink_depth = symlink_depth;
+                    let is_symlink = match entry.file_type() {
+                        Ok(ft) => ft.is_symlink(),
+                        Err(_) => false,
+                    };
+
+                    if is_symlink && options.dereference == Deref::All {
+                        // Increment symlink depth
+                        current_symlink_depth += 1;
+
+                        // Check symlink depth limit
+                        if current_symlink_depth > MAX_SYMLINK_DEPTH {
+                            print_tx.send(Err(std::io::Error::new(
+                                std::io::ErrorKind::InvalidData,
+                                "Too many levels of symbolic links",
+                            ).map_err_context(
+                                || translate!("du-error-cannot-access", "path" => entry_path.quote()),
+                            )))?;
+                            continue 'file_loop;
+                        }
+                    }
+
+                    match Stat::new(&entry_path, Some(&entry), options) {
                         Ok(this_stat) => {
+                            // Check if symlink with -L points to an ancestor (cycle detection)
+                            if is_symlink
+                                && options.dereference == Deref::All
+                                && this_stat.metadata.is_dir()
+                            {
+                                if let Some(inode) = this_stat.inode {
+                                    if ancestors.contains(&inode) {
+                                        // This symlink points to an ancestor directory - skip to avoid cycle
+                                        continue 'file_loop;
+                                    }
+                                }
+                            }
+
                             // We have an exclude list
                             for pattern in &options.excludes {
                                 // Look at all patterns with both short and long paths
@@ -326,8 +691,15 @@ fn du(
                                     }
                                 }
 
-                                let this_stat =
-                                    du(this_stat, options, depth + 1, seen_inodes, print_tx)?;
+                                let this_stat = du_regular(
+                                    this_stat,
+                                    options,
+                                    depth + 1,
+                                    seen_inodes,
+                                    print_tx,
+                                    Some(ancestors),
+                                    Some(current_symlink_depth),
+                                )?;
 
                                 if !options.separate_dirs {
                                     my_stat.size += this_stat.size;
@@ -350,9 +722,20 @@ fn du(
                                 }
                             }
                         }
-                        Err(e) => print_tx.send(Err(e.map_err_context(
-                            || translate!("du-error-cannot-access", "path" => entry.path().quote()),
-                        )))?,
+                        Err(e) => {
+                            // Check if this is the "too many symlinks" error we want to catch
+                            if e.kind() == std::io::ErrorKind::InvalidData
+                                && e.to_string().contains("Too many levels")
+                            {
+                                print_tx.send(Err(e.map_err_context(
+                                    || translate!("du-error-cannot-access", "path" => entry_path.quote()),
+                                )))?;
+                            } else {
+                                print_tx.send(Err(e.map_err_context(
+                                    || translate!("du-error-cannot-access", "path" => entry_path.quote()),
+                                )))?;
+                            }
+                        }
                     }
                 }
                 Err(error) => print_tx.send(Err(error.into()))?,
@@ -360,6 +743,11 @@ fn du(
         }
     }
 
+    // Remove current directory from ancestors before returning
+    if let Some(inode) = my_inode {
+        ancestors.remove(&inode);
+    }
+
     Ok(my_stat)
 }
 
@@ -727,25 +1115,80 @@ pub fn uumain(args: impl uucore::Args) -> UResult<()> {
         }
 
         // Check existence of path provided in argument
-        if let Ok(stat) = Stat::new(&path, None, &traversal_options) {
-            // Kick off the computation of disk usage from the initial path
-            let mut seen_inodes: HashSet<FileInfo> = HashSet::new();
-            if let Some(inode) = stat.inode {
-                seen_inodes.insert(inode);
+        let mut seen_inodes: HashSet<FileInfo> = HashSet::new();
+
+        // Determine which traversal method to use
+        #[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
+        let use_safe_traversal = traversal_options.dereference != Deref::All;
+        #[cfg(not(target_os = "linux"))]
+        let use_safe_traversal = false;
+
+        if use_safe_traversal {
+            // Use safe traversal (Linux only, when not using -L)
+            #[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
+            {
+                // Pre-populate seen_inodes with the starting directory to detect cycles
+                if let Ok(stat) = Stat::new(&path, None, &traversal_options) {
+                    if let Some(inode) = stat.inode {
+                        seen_inodes.insert(inode);
+                    }
+                }
+
+                match safe_du(
+                    &path,
+                    &traversal_options,
+                    0,
+                    &mut seen_inodes,
+                    &print_tx,
+                    None,
+                ) {
+                    Ok(stat) => {
+                        print_tx
+                            .send(Ok(StatPrintInfo { stat, depth: 0 }))
+                            .map_err(|e| USimpleError::new(1, e.to_string()))?;
+                    }
+                    Err(e) => {
+                        // Check if this is our "already handled" error
+                        if let mpsc::SendError(Err(simple_error)) = e.as_ref() {
+                            if simple_error.code() == 0 {
+                                // Error already handled, continue to next file
+                                continue 'loop_file;
+                            }
+                        }
+                        return Err(USimpleError::new(1, e.to_string()));
+                    }
+                }
             }
-            let stat = du(stat, &traversal_options, 0, &mut seen_inodes, &print_tx)
+        } else {
+            // Use regular traversal (non-Linux or when -L is used)
+            if let Ok(stat) = Stat::new(&path, None, &traversal_options) {
+                if let Some(inode) = stat.inode {
+                    seen_inodes.insert(inode);
+                }
+                let stat = du_regular(
+                    stat,
+                    &traversal_options,
+                    0,
+                    &mut seen_inodes,
+                    &print_tx,
+                    None,
+                    None,
+                )
                 .map_err(|e| USimpleError::new(1, e.to_string()))?;
 
-            print_tx
-                .send(Ok(StatPrintInfo { stat, depth: 0 }))
-                .map_err(|e| USimpleError::new(1, e.to_string()))?;
-        } else {
-            print_tx
-                .send(Err(USimpleError::new(
-                    1,
-                    translate!("du-error-cannot-access-no-such-file", "path" => path.to_string_lossy().quote()),
-                )))
-                .map_err(|e| USimpleError::new(1, e.to_string()))?;
+                print_tx
+                    .send(Ok(StatPrintInfo { stat, depth: 0 }))
+                    .map_err(|e| USimpleError::new(1, e.to_string()))?;
+            } else {
+                #[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
+                let error_msg = translate!("du-error-cannot-access", "path" => path.quote());
+                #[cfg(not(target_os = "linux"))]
+                let error_msg = translate!("du-error-cannot-access-no-such-file", "path" => path.to_string_lossy().quote());
+
+                print_tx
+                    .send(Err(USimpleError::new(1, error_msg)))
+                    .map_err(|e| USimpleError::new(1, e.to_string()))?;
+            }
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/src/uucore/src/lib/features/safe_traversal.rs b/src/uucore/src/lib/features/safe_traversal.rs
index edbe92c1b..177689b8c 100644
--- a/src/uucore/src/lib/features/safe_traversal.rs
+++ b/src/uucore/src/lib/features/safe_traversal.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 // Safe directory traversal using openat() and related syscalls
 // This module provides TOCTOU-safe filesystem operations for recursive traversal
 // Only available on Linux
-// spell-checker:ignore CLOEXEC RDONLY TOCTOU closedir dirp fdopendir fstatat openat
+// spell-checker:ignore CLOEXEC RDONLY TOCTOU closedir dirp fdopendir fstatat openat REMOVEDIR unlinkat
+// spell-checker:ignore  RAII dirfd
 
 #![cfg(target_os = "linux")]
 
@@ -291,7 +292,6 @@ impl FileInfo {
             ino: stat.st_ino as u64,
         }
     }
-}
 
     /// Create FileInfo from device and inode numbers
     pub fn new(dev: u64, ino: u64) -> Self {
@@ -384,6 +384,144 @@ impl Metadata {
     pub fn as_raw_stat(&self) -> &libc::stat {
         &self.stat
     }
+
+    /// Compatibility methods to match std::fs::Metadata interface
+    pub fn is_dir(&self) -> bool {
+        self.file_type().is_directory()
+    }
+
+    pub fn len(&self) -> u64 {
+        self.size()
+    }
+
+    pub fn is_empty(&self) -> bool {
+        self.len() == 0
+    }
+}
+
+// Add MetadataExt trait implementation for compatibility
+#[cfg(not(windows))]
+impl std::os::unix::fs::MetadataExt for Metadata {
+    fn dev(&self) -> u64 {
+        self.stat.st_dev
+    }
+
+    fn ino(&self) -> u64 {
+        #[cfg(target_pointer_width = "32")]
+        {
+            self.stat.st_ino.into()
+        }
+        #[cfg(not(target_pointer_width = "32"))]
+        {
+            self.stat.st_ino
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn mode(&self) -> u32 {
+        self.stat.st_mode
+    }
+
+    fn nlink(&self) -> u64 {
+        // st_nlink is u32 on most platforms except x86_64
+        #[cfg(target_arch = "x86_64")]
+        {
+            self.stat.st_nlink
+        }
+        #[cfg(not(target_arch = "x86_64"))]
+        {
+            self.stat.st_nlink.into()
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn uid(&self) -> u32 {
+        self.stat.st_uid
+    }
+
+    fn gid(&self) -> u32 {
+        self.stat.st_gid
+    }
+
+    fn rdev(&self) -> u64 {
+        self.stat.st_rdev
+    }
+
+    fn size(&self) -> u64 {
+        self.stat.st_size as u64
+    }
+
+    fn atime(&self) -> i64 {
+        #[cfg(target_pointer_width = "32")]
+        {
+            self.stat.st_atime.into()
+        }
+        #[cfg(not(target_pointer_width = "32"))]
+        {
+            self.stat.st_atime
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn atime_nsec(&self) -> i64 {
+        #[cfg(target_pointer_width = "32")]
+        {
+            self.stat.st_atime_nsec.into()
+        }
+        #[cfg(not(target_pointer_width = "32"))]
+        {
+            self.stat.st_atime_nsec
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn mtime(&self) -> i64 {
+        #[cfg(target_pointer_width = "32")]
+        {
+            self.stat.st_mtime.into()
+        }
+        #[cfg(not(target_pointer_width = "32"))]
+        {
+            self.stat.st_mtime
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn mtime_nsec(&self) -> i64 {
+        #[cfg(target_pointer_width = "32")]
+        {
+            self.stat.st_mtime_nsec.into()
+        }
+        #[cfg(not(target_pointer_width = "32"))]
+        {
+            self.stat.st_mtime_nsec
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn ctime(&self) -> i64 {
+        #[cfg(target_pointer_width = "32")]
+        {
+            self.stat.st_ctime.into()
+        }
+        #[cfg(not(target_pointer_width = "32"))]
+        {
+            self.stat.st_ctime
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn ctime_nsec(&self) -> i64 {
+        #[cfg(target_pointer_width = "32")]
+        {
+            self.stat.st_ctime_nsec.into()
+        }
+        #[cfg(not(target_pointer_width = "32"))]
+        {
+            self.stat.st_ctime_nsec
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn blksize(&self) -> u64 {
+        self.stat.st_blksize as u64
+    }
+
+    fn blocks(&self) -> u64 {
+        self.stat.st_blocks as u64
+    }
 }
 
 #[cfg(test)]
@@ -647,3 +785,4 @@ mod tests {
             );
         }
     }
+}
diff --git a/tests/by-util/test_du.rs b/tests/by-util/test_du.rs
index ffde10303..9ffcbb14e 100644
--- a/tests/by-util/test_du.rs
+++ b/tests/by-util/test_du.rs
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 // file that was distributed with this source code.
 
 // spell-checker:ignore (paths) atim sublink subwords azerty azeaze xcwww azeaz amaz azea qzerty tazerty tsublink testfile1 testfile2 filelist fpath testdir testfile
+// spell-checker:ignore selfref ELOOP
 #[cfg(not(windows))]
 use regex::Regex;
 
@@ -1439,3 +1440,235 @@ fn test_du_threshold_no_suggested_values() {
     let result = ts.ucmd().arg("--threshold").fails();
     assert!(!result.stderr_str().contains("[possible values: ]"));
 }
+
+#[test]
+#[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
+fn test_du_long_path_safe_traversal() {
+    let ts = TestScenario::new(util_name!());
+    let at = &ts.fixtures;
+
+    let mut deep_path = String::from("long_path_test");
+    at.mkdir(&deep_path);
+
+    for i in 0..15 {
+        let long_dir_name = format!("{}{}", "a".repeat(100), i);
+        deep_path = format!("{deep_path}/{long_dir_name}");
+        at.mkdir_all(&deep_path);
+    }
+
+    let test_file = format!("{deep_path}/test.txt");
+    at.write(&test_file, "test content");
+
+    let result = ts.ucmd().arg("-s").arg("long_path_test").succeeds();
+    assert!(result.stdout_str().contains("long_path_test"));
+
+    let result = ts.ucmd().arg("long_path_test").succeeds();
+    let lines: Vec<&str> = result.stdout_str().trim().lines().collect();
+    assert!(lines.len() >= 15);
+}
+#[test]
+#[cfg(unix)]
+fn test_du_very_deep_directory() {
+    let ts = TestScenario::new(util_name!());
+    let at = &ts.fixtures;
+
+    let mut current_path = String::from("x");
+    at.mkdir(&current_path);
+
+    for _ in 0..10 {
+        current_path = format!("{current_path}/x");
+        at.mkdir_all(&current_path);
+    }
+
+    at.write(&format!("{current_path}/file.txt"), "deep file");
+
+    let result = ts.ucmd().arg("-s").arg("x").succeeds();
+    assert!(result.stdout_str().contains('x'));
+
+    let result = ts.ucmd().arg("-a").arg("x").succeeds();
+    let output = result.stdout_str();
+    assert!(output.contains("file.txt"));
+}
+#[test]
+#[cfg(unix)]
+fn test_du_safe_traversal_with_symlinks() {
+    let ts = TestScenario::new(util_name!());
+    let at = &ts.fixtures;
+
+    let mut deep_path = String::from("symlink_test");
+    at.mkdir(&deep_path);
+
+    for i in 0..8 {
+        let dir_name = format!("{}{}", "b".repeat(50), i);
+        deep_path = format!("{deep_path}/{dir_name}");
+        at.mkdir_all(&deep_path);
+    }
+
+    at.write(&format!("{deep_path}/target.txt"), "target content");
+
+    at.symlink_file(&format!("{deep_path}/target.txt"), "shallow_link.txt");
+
+    let result = ts.ucmd().arg("-L").arg("shallow_link.txt").succeeds();
+    assert!(!result.stdout_str().is_empty());
+
+    let result = ts.ucmd().arg("shallow_link.txt").succeeds();
+    assert!(!result.stdout_str().is_empty());
+}
+#[test]
+#[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
+fn test_du_inaccessible_directory() {
+    // tested by tests/du/no-x
+    let ts = TestScenario::new(util_name!());
+    let at = ts.fixtures.clone();
+
+    at.mkdir("d");
+    at.mkdir("d/no-x");
+    at.mkdir("d/no-x/y");
+
+    at.set_mode("d/no-x", 0o600);
+
+    let result = ts.ucmd().arg("d").fails();
+    result.stderr_contains("du: cannot access 'd/no-x/y': Permission denied");
+}
+
+#[test]
+#[cfg(unix)]
+fn test_du_symlink_self_reference() {
+    // Test symlink that points to its own directory
+    let ts = TestScenario::new(util_name!());
+    let at = &ts.fixtures;
+
+    at.mkdir("selfref");
+    at.symlink_dir("selfref", "selfref/self");
+
+    let result = ts.ucmd().arg("-L").arg("selfref").succeeds();
+
+    result.stdout_contains("selfref");
+    // Should not show the self-referencing symlink to avoid infinite recursion
+    result.stdout_does_not_contain("selfref/self");
+}
+
+#[test]
+#[cfg(unix)]
+fn test_du_long_symlink_chain() {
+    // Test that very long symlink chains are handled gracefully
+    let ts = TestScenario::new(util_name!());
+    let at = &ts.fixtures;
+
+    // Create a simple structure that tests symlink depth limits
+    // Instead of trying to create a chain that causes ELOOP, test that reasonable chains work
+    at.mkdir_all("deep/level1/level2/level3/level4/level5");
+    at.write(
+        "deep/level1/level2/level3/level4/level5/file.txt",
+        "content",
+    );
+
+    at.symlink_dir("deep/level1", "link1");
+    at.symlink_dir("link1/level2", "link2");
+    at.symlink_dir("link2/level3", "link3");
+
+    let result = ts.ucmd().arg("-L").arg("link3").succeeds();
+    result.stdout_contains("link3");
+}
+
+#[test]
+#[cfg(all(unix, not(target_os = "macos")))]
+fn test_du_bind_mount_simulation() {
+    // Simulate bind mount scenario using hard links where possible
+    // Note: This test simulates what bind mounts do - making the same directory
+    // appear in multiple places with the same inode
+    let ts = TestScenario::new(util_name!());
+    let at = &ts.fixtures;
+
+    at.mkdir_all("mount_test/subdir");
+    at.write("mount_test/file1.txt", "content1");
+    at.write("mount_test/subdir/file2.txt", "content2");
+
+    // On systems where we can't create actual bind mounts,
+    // we test that cycle detection works with symlinks that would create similar cycles
+    at.symlink_dir("../mount_test", "mount_test/subdir/cycle_link");
+
+    let result = ts.ucmd().arg("mount_test").succeeds();
+
+    result.stdout_contains("mount_test/subdir");
+    result.stdout_contains("mount_test");
+
+    result.stdout_does_not_contain("mount_test/subdir/cycle_link");
+}
+
+#[test]
+#[cfg(unix)]
+fn test_du_symlink_depth_tracking() {
+    // Test that du can handle reasonable symlink chains without hitting depth limits
+    let ts = TestScenario::new(util_name!());
+    let at = &ts.fixtures;
+
+    at.mkdir_all("chain/dir1/dir2/dir3");
+    at.write("chain/dir1/dir2/dir3/file.txt", "content");
+
+    at.symlink_dir("chain/dir1/dir2", "shortcut");
+
+    let result = ts.ucmd().arg("-L").arg("shortcut").succeeds();
+    result.stdout_contains("shortcut/dir3");
+    result.stdout_contains("shortcut");
+}
+
+#[test]
+#[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
+fn test_du_long_path_from_unreadable() {
+    // Test the specific scenario from GNU's long-from-unreadable.sh test
+    // This verifies that du can handle very long paths when the current directory is unreadable
+    use std::env;
+    use std::fs;
+    use std::os::unix::fs::PermissionsExt;
+
+    let ts = TestScenario::new(util_name!());
+    let at = &ts.fixtures;
+
+    // Create a deep hierarchy similar to the GNU test
+    // Use a more reasonable depth for unit tests
+    let dir_name = "x".repeat(200);
+    let mut current_path = String::new();
+
+    for i in 0..20 {
+        if i == 0 {
+            current_path = dir_name.clone();
+        } else {
+            current_path = format!("{current_path}/{dir_name}");
+        }
+        at.mkdir_all(&current_path);
+    }
+
+    at.write(&format!("{current_path}/test.txt"), "test content");
+
+    at.mkdir("inaccessible");
+
+    let original_cwd = env::current_dir().unwrap();
+
+    let inaccessible_path = at.plus("inaccessible");
+    env::set_current_dir(&inaccessible_path).unwrap();
+
+    // Remove read permission from the directory
+    let mut perms = fs::metadata(&inaccessible_path).unwrap().permissions();
+    perms.set_mode(0o000);
+    fs::set_permissions(&inaccessible_path, perms).unwrap();
+
+    // Try to run du on the long path from the unreadable directory
+    let target_path = at.plus(&dir_name);
+    let result = ts.ucmd().arg("-s").arg(&target_path).succeeds(); // Should succeed with safe traversal
+
+    assert!(!result.stdout_str().is_empty());
+    let output = result.stdout_str().trim();
+    let parts: Vec<&str> = output.split_whitespace().collect();
+    assert_eq!(parts.len(), 2);
+
+    assert!(parts[0].parse::<u64>().is_ok());
+    assert!(parts[1].contains(&dir_name[..50])); // Check first part of the long name
+
+    env::set_current_dir(&original_cwd).unwrap();
+
+    // Restore permissions so the directory can be cleaned up
+    let mut perms = fs::metadata(&inaccessible_path).unwrap().permissions();
+    perms.set_mode(0o755);
+    fs::set_permissions(&inaccessible_path, perms).unwrap();
+}
diff --git a/util/build-gnu.sh b/util/build-gnu.sh
index ae85dc63f..ad3f3272c 100755
--- a/util/build-gnu.sh
+++ b/util/build-gnu.sh
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 
 # spell-checker:ignore (paths) abmon deref discrim eacces getlimits getopt ginstall inacc infloop inotify reflink ; (misc) INT_OFLOW OFLOW
 # spell-checker:ignore baddecode submodules xstrtol distros ; (vars/env) SRCDIR vdir rcexp xpart dired OSTYPE ; (utils) gnproc greadlink gsed multihardlink texinfo CARGOFLAGS
+# spell-checker:ignore openat TOCTOU
 
 set -e