# CVE-2024-12088: Rsync: --safe-links option bypass leads to path traversal

> Attackers can bypass safe-links checks to write arbitrary files outside the target directory via malicious symbolic links.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 14 Jan 2025
- **Updated:** 21 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** ALPINE-CVE-2024-12088, AZL-55658, AZL-55676, BELL-CVE-2024-12088, CLSA-2025-1738632064, CLSA-2025-1750781004, CLSA-2025-1751134987, CLSA-2025-1752247531, DEBIAN-CVE-2024-12088, GHSA-ffph-g3pc-8r3g, JLSEC-2025-327, SUSE-SU-2025:1330-1, UBUNTU-CVE-2024-12088

## What is CVE-2024-12088?

CVE-2024-12088 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Gentoo Linux, published on 14 Jan 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

A flaw was found in rsync. When using the `--safe-links` option, the rsync client fails to properly verify if a symbolic link destination sent from the server contains another symbolic link within it. This results in a path traversal vulnerability, which may lead to arbitrary file write outside the desired directory.

Weakness: CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-12088?

It affects 20 products.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `rsync` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server LTSS Extended Security 12 SP5 | All versions | 3.1.3-3.28.1 |

Products: Almalinux Almalinux, Archlinux Arch Linux, Gentoo Linux, Nixos Nixos, Novell Suse Linux, Redhat Discovery, Redhat Enterprise Linux, Redhat Enterprise Linux Eus, Redhat Enterprise Linux for Arm 64, Redhat Enterprise Linux for Arm 64 Eus, Redhat Enterprise Linux for Ibm Z Systems, Redhat Enterprise Linux for Ibm Z Systems Eus, Redhat Enterprise Linux for Power Little Endian, Redhat Enterprise Linux for Power Little Endian Eus, Redhat Enterprise Linux Server Aus, Redhat Enterprise Linux Server for Power Little Endian Update Services for Sap Solutions, Redhat Enterprise Linux Update Services for Sap Solutions, Redhat Openshift Container Platform, Samba Rsync, Tritondatacenter Smartos.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-12088?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2024-12088 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2024-12088 exists.

## Other vulnerabilities in Gentoo Linux

- [CVE-2024-12084](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-12084/): Rsync: heap buffer overflow in rsync due to improper checksum length handling (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2024-6387](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-6387/): Openssh: regresshion - race condition in ssh allows rce/dos (high 8.1)
- [CVE-2024-12085](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-12085/): Rsync: info leak via uninitialized stack contents (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2024-12087](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-12087/): Rsync: path traversal vulnerability in rsync (medium 6.5)
- [CVE-2024-12086](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-12086/): Rsync: rsync server leaks arbitrary client files (medium 6.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2024-12088 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-12088 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Gentoo Linux, published on 14 Jan 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2024-12088 exists.

Affected product: Gentoo Linux. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-12088/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-12088/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-12088
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-12088
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-12088

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-12088/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.