CVE-2026-49980
Description
A flaw was found in Rclone, a command-line program for cloud storage synchronization. When the rcd --rc-serve option is enabled, an unauthenticated remote attacker can send specially crafted GET or HEAD requests to execute arbitrary commands as the Rclone process user. This vulnerability allows for remote code execution, potentially compromising the system where Rclone is running.
Statement
OpenShift API for Data Protection (OADP) and Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes (RHACM) do not run rclone rcd --rc-serve with an unauthenticated RC listener. OADP relies on Restic (rclone serve restic --stdio) and Kopia (WebDAV serve with RC authentication), while RHACM VolSync uses rclone sync/copy or only compile-time dependencies.
Mitigation
Until upgraded:
1. Stop using --rc-serve
2. Add RC auth (--rc-user + --rc-pass or --rc-htpasswd), and
3. Keep RC on localhost only (do not bind 0.0.0.0 without auth)
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 | 8.1 | N/A | 8.1 |
| Attack Vector | Network | N/A | Network |
| Attack Complexity | High | N/A | High |
| Privileges Required | None | N/A | None |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | None |
| 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:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Confidentiality,Integrity,Availability,Non-Repudiation
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands; DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart; Read Files or Directories; Modify Files or Directories; Read Application Data; Modify Application Data; Hide Activities
Attackers could execute unauthorized operating system commands, which could then be used to disable the product, or read and modify data for which the attacker does not have permissions to access directly. Since the targeted application is directly executing the commands instead of the attacker, any malicious activities may appear to come from the application or the application's owner.
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