CVE-2026-116189
Description
A flaw was found in rclone. A remote attacker with the ability to tamper with the release distribution path can bypass cryptographic signature verification during the self-update process. By prepending an unsigned checksum before the signed checksum block, the attacker can cause the application to install a malicious binary, leading to arbitrary code execution.
Statement
This vulnerability is rated as Important because an attacker capable of manipulating upstream distribution traffic could achieve arbitrary code execution by bypassing signature checks during standalone binary installation. In Red Hat products such as Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management and Cryostat, rclone is shipped within container images where component lifecycle is governed entirely by container platform registries. Red Hat automated workflows do not execute standalone self-replacement routines, meaning typical containerized deployments are not exposed in standard configurations.
Mitigation
Mitigation for this issue is either not available or the currently available options do not meet the Red Hat Product Security criteria comprising ease of use and deployment, applicability to widespread installation base, or stability.
--- CME Mitigation Guidance (2026-11-02) ---
Disclaimer: The following mitigation solutions are provided as a courtesy, pending the application of an official patch. This content was generated utilizing AI tools in conjunction with data from https://cmetaxonomy.org. Customers are advised to independently evaluate and test these temporary mitigations within their own infrastructure.
The highest-value action is to disallow standalone invocation of rclone selfupdate and restrict binary updates to verified container registries or managed system packages: upgrade to rclone 1.75.2 (or the corresponding fixed Red Hat builds), which parse checksum hashes exclusively from the authenticated PGP-clearsigned block rather than the raw response buffer, closing prepending an unsigned checksum line to a signed SHA256SUMS file. Until patched, this is only a concern on deployments executing the rclone stable selfupdate routine — containerized deployments where update lifecycles are governed entirely by container platform registries are unaffected — so prohibit manual and automated execution of the rclone selfupdate command and protect distribution network paths against interception or tampered HTTP responses. As a compensating measure, Enforce execution-time integrity appraisal on binaries using IMA/EVM to block execution of an unauthenticated rclone binary installed via a compromised update and Deploy AIDE or file integrity monitoring to detect unauthorized modifications and replacements of the rclone binary on disk. These controls limit blast radius and contain exploitation, but they do not fix the underlying signature verification bypass defect — apply the upstream patch to fully remediate.
Highest-impact CME: CME-505 IMA/EVM (Integrity Measurement Architecture) (medium)
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 7.5 | N/A | 7.5 |
| Attack Vector | Network | N/A | Network |
| Attack Complexity | High | N/A | High |
| Privileges Required | None | N/A | None |
| User Interaction | Required | N/A | Required |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | High | N/A | High |
| Integrity Impact | High | N/A | High |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Access Control,Integrity,Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Gain Privileges or Assume Identity; Modify Application Data; Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands
An attacker could gain access to sensitive data and possibly execute unauthorized code.
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