Vulnerability in Rsyncproject Rsync
CVE-2026-53789
rsync before 3.5.0 contains an improper path handling vulnerability that allows a malicious sender to expand the scope of --delete operations beyond the intended destination subtree by sending a crafted file list that causes rsync to reclassify implied parent directory entries or treat synthetic paths as the transfer root. Attackers can exploit multiple variants including implied parent reclassification, synthetic root path construction, legacy protocol behavior below version 30, and non-directory root handling to cause the receiver to delete files outside the authorized destination directory.
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 6.5 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.005 (43.2th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 43rd percentile — 43.2% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.003 · newest: 0.005 · change: +0.002
Affected products
- Rsyncproject Rsync — versions 0, 3.5.0
- Samba Rsync
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- github.com/RsyncProject/rsync/releases/tag/v3.5.0 (release-notes, Product, Release Notes)
- github.com/RsyncProject/rsync/security/advisories/GHSA-fxwg-7hmf-xh5q (vendor-advisory, Vendor Advisory)
- www.vulncheck.com/advisories/rsync-arbitrary-file-deletion-via-malicious-file-l… (Third Party Advisory, Release Notes, third-party-advisory)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-53789?
- CVE-2026-53789 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Rsyncproject Rsync, classified under CWE-807. CVSS score: 6.5/10. Published 2026-08-13.
- How severe is CVE-2026-53789?
- Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 6.5 out of 10.