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rsync EUVDEUVD-2026-58037

| CVE-2026-53799 HIGH
Improper Link Resolution Before File Access (CWE-59)
2026-08-13 VulnCheck
7.2
CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: VulnCheck
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Severity by source

Vendor (VulnCheck) PRIMARY
7.2 HIGH
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
vuln.today AI
7.5 HIGH

Local-only race condition (AV:L, AC:H); low privileges required; scope changes as ACLs land on files outside attacker's permission domain; no availability impact.

3.1 AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
4.0 AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
SUSE
7.0 HIGH
AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Red Hat
6.3 MEDIUM
qualitative

Primary rating from Vendor (VulnCheck).

CVSS VectorVendor: VulnCheck

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
High
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
X

Lifecycle Timeline

3
Source Code Evidence Fetched
Aug 13, 2026 - 15:52 vuln.today
Analysis Generated
Aug 13, 2026 - 15:52 vuln.today
CVE Published
Aug 13, 2026 - 14:40 cve.org
HIGH 7.2

DescriptionCVE.org

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.

AnalysisAI

Symlink race condition in rsync before 3.5.0 enables local privilege escalation by allowing an attacker to redirect ACL and extended attribute application to arbitrary files outside the intended destination tree. A low-privileged local attacker exploits the timing window between rsync's file write and the subsequent acl_set_file() or lsetxattr() call by substituting a crafted symlink at a predictable destination path, causing rsync to stamp permissions onto unintended files. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis, and the flaw is not listed in CISA KEV; however, the CVSS 4.0 score of 7.2 reflects genuine high confidentiality and integrity impact when successfully timed.

Technical ContextAI

rsync (CPE: cpe:2.3:a:rsyncproject:rsync:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*) is a ubiquitous file synchronization utility that, when the --acls or --xattrs flags are used, applies POSIX ACLs via acl_set_file() and extended attributes via lsetxattr() to synchronized files after writing them. The root cause is CWE-59 (Improper Link Resolution Before File Access / 'Link Following'): rsync resolves the destination filesystem path, writes the file, and then separately calls acl_set_file()/lsetxattr() on that same path without re-verifying it still refers to the originally written file. Because the destination path is predictable, an attacker who can race between the write and the attribute-setting call can substitute a symlink pointing to an arbitrary file (e.g., a system binary or a passwd entry), causing rsync to apply the attacker-controlled ACLs or xattrs to that unintended target and thereby elevating the attacker's effective permissions.

RemediationAI

The primary remediation is upgrading rsync to version 3.5.0 or later, which is confirmed as a major security release addressing this flaw per the GitHub release tag (https://github.com/RsyncProject/rsync/releases/tag/v3.5.0) and the upstream NEWS file at https://download.samba.org/pub/rsync/NEWS#3.5.0. Package maintainers for Linux distributions (Debian, Ubuntu, RHEL, Alpine, etc.) should be consulted for backported packages if the upstream version is not yet available in the distribution's stable channel. As a compensating control where patching is not immediately possible, operators should avoid invoking rsync with --acls or --xattrs flags in environments where untrusted local users share the destination filesystem; this eliminates the vulnerable code paths (acl_set_file() and lsetxattr()) at the cost of not synchronizing ACLs or extended attributes. Additionally, ensuring that rsync destination directories are not world-writable and are not under paths predictable or writable by unprivileged users reduces the feasibility of placing a symlink in the race window. These mitigations do not address the root cause and should be treated as temporary.

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Vendor StatusVendor

SUSE

Severity: Important
Product Status
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-ESPOS Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-LTSS Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-ESPOS Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-LTSS Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 Affected

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EUVD-2026-58037 vulnerability details – vuln.today

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