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rsyslog EUVDEUVD-2026-67085

| CVE-2026-78002 HIGH
Incorrect Calculation of Buffer Size (CWE-131)
2026-08-27 redhat
7.5
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: redhat
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Identify rsyslog network listener (UDP/TCP 514)
  2. Delivery
    Craft syslog message targeting replace() function
  3. Exploit
    Send message to exposed rsyslog port
  4. Execution
    Trigger incorrect buffer size calculation
  5. Persist
    Heap buffer overflow corrupts memory
  6. Impact
    rsyslog process crashes (DoS)

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Buffer size calculation
Exploitation Conditions

rsyslog must be configured to accept syslog messages from the network via a network input module (such as imudp or imtcp) bound to a network-reachable interface. Additionally, the rsyslog RainerScript configuration must include rules that invoke the replace() function on fields derived from incoming log messages - systems where this function is not used in active ruleset processing may not trigger the vulnerable code path. The CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N) confirms no authentication, no user interaction, and low attack complexity are required from the attacker side. Exploitation is limited to systems actively receiving remote syslog traffic with the replace() function in their RainerScript rules; rsyslog instances processing only local (Unix socket) log sources are not directly exposed via the network vector.

Impact

The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H) indicates a network-exploitable, unauthenticated, zero-interaction flaw with low attack complexity - meaning the overflow trigger is expected to be highly reliable once an attacker identifies the right message payload. The impact is strictly an availability loss: no confidentiality or integrity compromise is possible based on available data. This limits the worst-case outcome to a process crash, but disrupting rsyslog is operationally significant because it is the primary log collection daemon on RHEL systems; crashing it blinds SIEM pipelines and audit trails, creating a secondary risk window. No CISA KEV listing exists and no public exploit code has been identified, so this is not confirmed as actively exploited. EPSS data was not provided in the input, so exploitation probability cannot be quantified. Despite the DoS-only scope, the broad RHEL deployment footprint and low exploitation complexity make this a patch-priority item for any environment relying on centralized syslog collection - the combination of no authentication required and low attack complexity means exploitation is accessible to unsophisticated attackers once details are public.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker with network access to a host running rsyslog with a network input module (imudp or imtcp) enabled sends a specially crafted syslog message designed to invoke the RainerScript replace() function with input that triggers the undersized buffer calculation. The resulting heap overflow corrupts memory and crashes the rsyslog process, halting log collection on the target system. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis, though the low attack complexity suggests a reliable trigger is achievable through fuzzing or inspection of the buffer size logic.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
No patch listed yet 0.6% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Aug 27, 2026

Heap buffer overflow in rsyslog's RainerScript replace() function allows unauthenticated remote attackers to crash affected systems by sending crafted syslog messages. The root cause is an incorrect buffer size calculation (CWE-131) during string replacement, leading to heap memory corruption and reliable denial of service. This affects rsyslog as shipped across Red Hat Enterprise Linux versions 6 through 10; no public exploit or CISA KEV confirmation exists at time of analysis.

RemediationAI

Apply Red Hat-provided errata packages for the affected RHEL versions (6, 7, 8, 9, 10) as detailed in the advisory at https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-78002 and tracked in Bugzilla at https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2521135. Exact fixed package versions are not confirmed from the provided data and must be verified against the Red Hat advisory and the upstream GitHub Security Advisory (GHSA-g72f-gc6v-f2w3) at https://github.com/rsyslog/rsyslog/security/advisories/GHSA-g72f-gc6v-f2w3. As a temporary compensating control, restrict inbound syslog traffic (typically UDP/TCP port 514) to known trusted source IPs using firewall rules (firewalld or iptables), reducing the exposed attack surface until patching is complete. Note that restricting syslog ports will prevent rsyslog from receiving remote log traffic during the restriction window, which may gap centralized log collection from external hosts.

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Technical ContextAI · show details

rsyslog is a high-performance syslog daemon that includes RainerScript, a built-in scripting language used to define log processing rules. The replace() function within RainerScript performs string substitution on log message fields. CWE-131 (Incorrect Calculation of Buffer Size) is the root cause: when computing the size of the output buffer needed for a string replacement, the implementation produces an underestimate, resulting in a heap buffer overflow during the write. Because rsyslog commonly listens on network ports (UDP/TCP 514 via imudp/imtcp modules), a remote attacker can supply the triggering input by sending a crafted syslog message. Affected CPEs span cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_enterprise_linux_6 through red_hat_enterprise_linux_10, reflecting rsyslog packages across the full RHEL product line.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (redhat) PRIMARY 7.5 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
vuln.today AI 7.5 HIGH

Network-reachable syslog listener, no credentials required, reliable trigger, pure availability impact with no confidentiality or integrity loss.

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
SUSE HIGH
Red Hat 7.5 HIGH

Primary rating from Vendor (redhat).

CVSS VectorVendor: redhat

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

DescriptionCVE.org

A flaw was found in rsyslog. An unauthenticated remote attacker can trigger a heap buffer overflow in the RainerScript replace() function by sending specially crafted syslog messages. This vulnerability arises from an incorrect buffer size calculation during string replacement, causing memory corruption. Successful exploitation can lead to a denial of service (DoS) for the affected system.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

rsyslog is critical infrastructure for enterprise logging and compliance across RHEL environments. A heap buffer overflow in rsyslog's string replacement function permits unauthenticated remote denial of service attacks, risking the silencing of logging infrastructure across RHEL 6-10 deployments. Organizations relying on rsyslog face immediate risk to security observability and regulatory audit trail continuity.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations: restrict syslog listener access (514/UDP) to pre-approved source networks via firewall rules, disable RainerScript functions if not required for active deployments, configure rsyslog input filters to reject malformed string-replacement directives, and deploy network-based intrusion detection signatures for malformed syslog payloads.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.6%
Top 54% exploitable
Prevalence
High
default syslog daemon across all RHEL versions and many Linux distributions
Data Quality
8 sources
Confidence: High
EUVD NVD CVE.org EPSS Vulnrichment MSRC Vendor GitHub VulDB

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.6%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
Yes
Human Impact
High
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

39
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: +1
CVSS: +38
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

A buffer overflow occurs when a program writes more data to a memory buffer than it was allocated to hold, causing the excess data to spill into adjacent memory regions.

Denial of Service attacks render applications or systems unavailable by overwhelming resources or triggering failure conditions.

Affected Products (CPE)CVE.org

cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_enterprise_linux_10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_enterprise_linux_6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_enterprise_linux_6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_enterprise_linux_7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_enterprise_linux_8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_enterprise_linux_9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_enterprise_linux_9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Vendor StatusVendor

SUSE

Severity: Important
Product Status
SLES15-SP5-CHOST-BYOS-SAP-CCloud Affected
SLES15-SP6-CHOST-BYOS Affected
SLES15-SP6-CHOST-BYOS-Aliyun Affected
SLES15-SP6-CHOST-BYOS-Azure Affected
SLES15-SP6-CHOST-BYOS-EC2 Affected

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