rsync < 3.5.0 Symlink Race Condition via ACL/xattr Application
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2026-53799 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | VulnCheck |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2026-08-13 15:19:52 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-08-31 15:31:26 UTC |
| Description | 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. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v4.0 7.2 HIGH from [email protected]
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
EPSS: 0.001400000 probability, percentile 0.036810000 (date 2026-09-01)
Problem Types: CWE-59 | CWE-367 | CWE-59 CWE-59 Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following') | CWE-367 CWE-367 Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition
| Version | Source | Type | Score | Severity | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.0 | [email protected] | Secondary | 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/C... |
| 4.0 | CNA | CVSS | 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 |
| 3.1 | [email protected] | Secondary | 6.3 | MEDIUM | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N |
| 3.1 | CNA | CVSS | 6.3 | MEDIUM | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N |
CVSS v4.0 Breakdown
Attack Vector
LocalAttack Complexity
HighAttack Requirements
NonePrivileges Required
LowUser Interaction
NoneConfidentiality
HighIntegrity
HighAvailability
NoneSub Conf.
NoneSub Integrity
NoneSub Availability
NoneCVSS: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
CVSS v3.1 Breakdown
Attack Vector
LocalAttack Complexity
HighPrivileges Required
LowUser Interaction
NoneScope
UnchangedConfidentiality
HighIntegrity
HighAvailability
NoneCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
NVD Known Affected Configurations (CPE 2.3)
Vendor Declared Affected Products
| Source | Vendor | Product | Version | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNA | RsyncProject | Rsync | affected 3.4.4 semver | Not specified |
| CNA | RsyncProject | Rsync | unaffected 3.5.0 semver | Not specified |
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| github.com/RsyncProject/rsync/security/advisories/GHSA-phxh-hjqv-39c9 | [email protected] | github.com | Vendor Advisory |
| github.com/RsyncProject/rsync/releases/tag/v3.5.0 | [email protected] | github.com | Product, Release Notes |
| www.vulncheck.com/advisories/rsync-symlink-race-condition-via-acl-xattr-applica... | [email protected] | www.vulncheck.com | Release Notes, Third Party Advisory |
| CVE Program record | CVE.ORG | www.cve.org | canonical |
| NVD vulnerability detail | NVD | nvd.nist.gov | canonical, analysis |
Vendor Comments And Credit
Discovery Credit
CNA: gregkh (en)
There are currently no legacy QID mappings associated with this CVE.