CVE-2026-53799
Description
A symlink race condition in rsync allows a local attacker to achieve privilege escalation. By substituting a symlink at a predictable destination path between a file write and the application of access control lists (ACLs) or extended attributes (xattrs), an attacker can redirect these permissions to arbitrary files.
Statement
By exploiting a race condition during ACL or extended attribute application in rsync, a local attacker can redirect these operations to unintended files to achieve privilege escalation. This vulnerability carries a Moderate impact rating because the strict timing window required for successful exploitation results in high attack complexity.
Mitigation
Do not use -A/--acls or -X/--xattrs (or fake-super ACL-as-xattr) unless untrusted users cannot create or replace names in the destination tree. If rsyncd is used, add acls and xattrs to refuse options.
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 | 6.3 | N/A | 6.3 |
| Attack Vector | Local | N/A | Local |
| Attack Complexity | High | N/A | High |
| Privileges Required | Low | N/A | Low |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | High | N/A | High |
| Integrity Impact | High | N/A | High |
| Availability Impact | None | N/A | None |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
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