What’s Vulnerable › Vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-53802: rsync < 3.5.0 Arbitrary File Read via Symlink Following

• Severity: high (CVSS 7.1 v3.1)
• Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
• EPSS: 0.2% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
• Public exploit or detection template: none known
• Published: 2026-08-13 · updated 2026-10-24
• Weakness: CWE-61

Description

rsync before 3.5.0 contains an arbitrary file read vulnerability that allows attackers to read files accessible to the rsync daemon process by exploiting symlink following in input configuration file handling including --files-from, --password-file, and filter merge files. Attackers can place a symlink at a predictable --files-from or --password-file path, or supply a --files-from path that escapes the daemon module root, to read arbitrary files accessible to the rsync process.

Affected products

• RsyncProject rsync: before 3.5.0 — fixed in 3.5.0

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: RsyncProject rsync 3.5.0. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

• https://github.com/RsyncProject/rsync/releases/tag/v3.5.0
• https://github.com/RsyncProject/rsync/security/advisories/GHSA-4mfr-8jrv-49x4
• https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/rsync-arbitrary-file-read-via-symlink-following
• https://github.com/RsyncProject/rsync/security/advisories/GHSA-4mfr-8jrv-49x4

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