CVE-2026-53800: rsyncproject rsync Link Following
Vulnerability summary
CVE-2026-53800 is a medium (CVSS 5.7) Link Following vulnerability in rsyncproject rsync. EPSS estimates a 0.14% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 3.1% of scored vulnerabilities.
Advisory lineage
Upstream 0 · Downstream 9 · Related 8Timeline
- 13-08-2026PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
- 14-08-2026Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.
Description
rsync before 3.5.0 contains a symlink race condition vulnerability in the --remove-source-files feature that allows attackers with symlink creation access to cause arbitrary file deletion. Attackers can atomically substitute a symlink for a source file between transfer completion and the unlink() call, causing rsync to delete the symlink target rather than the intended source file.
CVSS metrics
8 scores · 5 sources · 2 versions- OSV · AlpineEcosystem advisory · calculated5.7MediumCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/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
- OSV · UbuntuEcosystem advisory · calculated5.7MediumCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
- OSV · DebianEcosystem advisory · calculated5.7MediumCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/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
- NVDNIST5.7MediumCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/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
- OSV · UbuntuEcosystem advisory · calculated4.7MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
- NVDNIST4.7MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
EPSS trend
Probability
0.14%
Chance of exploitation in the next 30 days
Percentile
3%
Versus all other CVEs
30-day change
0.00 pp
From 0.14% on 19-09-2026
Known exploited
Compare KEV catalogsNot in any of the 3 tracked catalogs.
Public exploits
0 foundNo public exploits indexed.
Weaknesses
CWE · root cause- CWE-59Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')The product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource.
- CWE-367Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race ConditionThe product checks the state of a resource before using that resource, but the resource's state can change between the check and the use in a way that invalidates the results of the check.
Affected systems
Alpine1 product
- rsync< 3.5.0-r0
Debian1 product
- rsyncAll versions (No fix recorded) | < 3.5.0+ds1-0+deb13u1 | < 3.5.0+ds1-1
Rsyncproject1 product
- rsync≤ 3.4.4
Samba1 product
- rsync< 3.5.0
Ubuntu1 product
- rsyncAll versions (No fix recorded)
5 vendors · 5 products
References
9 links- www.vulncheck.com/advisories/rsync-symlink-race-condition-via-remove-source-filesThird Party AdvisoryRelease Notes
