Link following in Rsync - CVE-2026-53795
Published: August 13, 2026
Vulnerability identifier: #VU142284
CSH Severity: High
CVSS v4: 6.8 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:N/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N]
CVE-ID: CVE-2026-53795
CWE-ID: CWE-59
Exploitation vector: Remote access
Exploit availability:
No public exploit available
Vulnerability details
The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to overwrite files outside the destination tree.
The vulnerability exists due to improper link resolution before file access in do_rename_at()/do_link_at() when handling transfers that use an absolute --temp-dir, an absolute --link-dest basis, or mixed-parent rename/link paths. A remote attacker can flip a destination parent component from a directory to a symlink mid-transfer to overwrite files outside the destination tree.
User interaction is required to initiate the transfer.
Affected software
Rsync
How to mitigate CVE-2026-53795
Install security update from vendor's website.
Rsync - update to 3.5.0