CVE-2026-53799

rsync < 3.5.0 Symlink Race Condition via ACL/xattr Application

MEDIUM
6.3
CVSS Score
Published: August 13, 2026 at 02:40 PM UTC
Updated: October 24, 2026 at 04:10 PM UTC
2 products affected across 2 vendorsRsyncRsync

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Severity
MEDIUM6.3
Exploit prediction
EPSS 0.1%
SSVC
No known exploit

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.

Affected

Our own answer: ranges merged, affected separated from platform-only, with confidence and review flags.

All versionsv < 3.5.0
Affected range stops below 3.5.0, so it looks safe — our inference, not a vendor statement
0 ≤ v ≤ 3.4.4
Vendor states this is fixed in 3.5.0 (unaffected)

Remediation

No guide yet

No remediation guidance has been written for this CVE yet. What the record does show:

SSVC — Action Prioritization

SSVCNo known exploitNot automatablePartial impact

SSVC signals action urgency (what to patch first), separate from CVSS which measures severity.

CVSS

6.3MEDIUMVulnCheck
Attack Vector
LOCAL
Complexity
HIGH
Privileges
LOW
User Interaction
NONE
Scope
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality
HIGH
Integrity
HIGH
Availability
NONE
Vector?

Quick Info

StatusANALYZED
CWE
CWE-59CWE-367

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