CVE-2026-53803: rsyncproject rsync Link Following
Vulnerability summary
CVE-2026-53803 is a high (CVSS 8.5) Link Following vulnerability in rsyncproject rsync. EPSS estimates a 0.23% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 12.8% of scored vulnerabilities.
Advisory lineage
Upstream 0 · Downstream 12 · Related 8Timeline
- 13-08-2026PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
- 14-08-2026Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.
Description
rsync before 3.5.0 contains a symlink following vulnerability that allows local attackers to overwrite arbitrary files by placing a symlink at a predictable output path such as --log-file, --write-batch, or daemon-mode log and statistics paths. Attackers can exploit rsync's failure to reject symlinks during ancillary file writes to redirect output to arbitrary filesystem locations, achieving local privilege escalation on installations where rsync runs with elevated privileges such as setuid or privileged daemon configurations.
CVSS metrics
8 scores · 5 sources · 2 versions- OSV · AlpineEcosystem advisory · calculated8.5HighCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/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 · calculated8.5HighCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
- OSV · DebianEcosystem advisory · calculated8.5HighCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/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
- NVDNIST8.5HighCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/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 · calculated7.8HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- NVDNIST7.8HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS trend
Probability
0.23%
Chance of exploitation in the next 30 days
Percentile
13%
Versus all other CVEs
30-day change
0.00 pp
From 0.23% 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 causeAffected 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-following-arbitrary-file-overwriteThird Party AdvisoryRelease Notes
