rsync < 3.5.0 Symlink Race Condition via ACL/xattr Application
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- High
- Attack requirements
- None
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · None
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 8 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
rsync before 3.5.0 contains a symlink race condition vulnerability that allows local attackers to cause rsync to apply arbitrary ACLs or extended attributes to unintended files by substituting a symlink at a predictable destination path between the file write and the subsequent acl_set_file() or lsetxattr() call. Attackers can exploit this timing window to redirect ACL and xattr application through a crafted symlink to files outside the intended destination tree, potentially granting elevated permissions and enabling local privilege escalation.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
Remediation
- Fix · CNA rsync (RsyncProject) Fixed in 3.5.0
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat OpenShift AI (RHOAI) | Affected | — |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-53799
- 2026-11-06 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-11-06 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
More Samba Rsync vulnerabilities
- TI-2024-11208 Rsync: heap buffer overflow in rsync due to improper checksum length handling CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2024-11209 Rsync: info leak via uninitialized stack contents CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2024-11212 Rsync: --safe-links option bypass leads to path traversal CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2024-11211 Rsync: path traversal vulnerability in rsync CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2024-11210 Rsync: rsync server leaks arbitrary client files CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 6.8
- TI-2017-12160 The receive_xattr function in xattrs.c in rsync 3.1.2 and 3.1.3-development does not… CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
Sources
- CVE-2026-53799 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-53799 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- CVE-2026-53799 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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