CVE-2026-53803 (GCVE-0-2026-53803)

Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2026-08-13 14:33 – Updated: 2026-08-14 16:50
VLAI
Title
rsync < 3.5.0 Symlink Following Arbitrary File Overwrite
Summary
rsync before 3.5.0 contains a symlink following vulnerability that allows local attackers to overwrite arbitrary files by placing a symlink at a predictable output path such as --log-file, --write-batch, or daemon-mode log and statistics paths. Attackers can exploit rsync's failure to reject symlinks during ancillary file writes to redirect output to arbitrary filesystem locations, achieving local privilege escalation on installations where rsync runs with elevated privileges such as setuid or privileged daemon configurations.
Severity
8.5 (High)
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
7.8 (High)
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
SSVC
Exploitation: none Automatable: no Technical Impact: total
CISA Coordinator · CISA-ADP (v2.0.3)
Decision recorded 2026-08-14 03:55 UTC
CWE
  • CWE-59 - Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
Assigner
References
Impacted products
Vendor Product Version
RsyncProject rsync Affected: 0 , ≤ 3.4.4 (semver)
Unaffected: 3.5.0 (semver)
Create a notification for this product.
Date Public
2026-08-12 00:00
Credits
seks99x
Show details on NVD website
To clipboard 

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Forecast uses a logistic model when the trend is rising, or an exponential decay model when the trend is falling. Fitted via linearized least squares.

Sightings

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  • Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or observed by the user.
  • Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
  • Published Proof of Concept: A public proof of concept is available for this vulnerability.
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  • Not exploited: The vulnerability was not observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
  • Not confirmed: The user expressed doubt about the validity of the vulnerability.
  • Not patched: The vulnerability was not observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.


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