CVE-2026-53785
Description
A path traversal vulnerability in rsync's --relative mode allows a malicious sender to craft symlink paths, enabling arbitrary file writes outside the destination directory.
Statement
This is an Important vulnerability in rsync where a malicious sender can achieve arbitrary file writes on a receiving system when the --relative mode is used. This path traversal flaw allows symlink components in relative paths to escape the intended destination directory. The risk is present in environments where rsync is configured to pull data from untrusted sources with the --relative option.
Mitigation
To mitigate this issue, avoid using the rsync --relative (-R) option when synchronizing with untrusted senders. Because kernel-level symlink protections cannot prevent rsync from following malicious destination-tree symlinks created by the same executing user, strict sender verification is required. Restricting --relative operations to fully trusted sources prevents attackers from exploiting implied relative paths to achieve path traversal.
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).
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 7.1 | N/A | 7.1 |
| Attack Vector | Local | N/A | Local |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | Low | N/A | Low |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | None | N/A | None |
| Integrity Impact | High | N/A | High |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Confidentiality,Integrity,Access Control
Technical Impact: Read Files or Directories; Modify Files or Directories; Bypass Protection Mechanism
An attacker may be able to traverse the file system to unintended locations and read or overwrite the contents of unexpected files. If the files are used for a security mechanism then an attacker may be able to bypass the mechanism.
Other
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands
Windows simple shortcuts, sometimes referred to as soft links, can be exploited remotely since a ".LNK" file can be uploaded like a normal file. This can enable remote execution.
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