CVE-2026-53796 rsync < 3.5.0 TOCTOU Race Condition via Destination Directory Handling
Attackers can exploit a race condition in rsync to redirect file writes to unintended locations, potentially modifying files or escalating privileges.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-53796?
CVE-2026-53796 is a medium-severity vulnerability in RsyncProject rsync, published on 13 Aug 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
rsync before 3.5.0 contains a time-of-check to time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition vulnerability in the non-daemon receiver's destination directory handling that allows an attacker who can manipulate destination path parent components to redirect file writes to unintended locations. Attackers can substitute a symlink for a component of the destination path between the path resolution and chdir() call, causing the receiver's working directory to be established outside the intended destination tree so that subsequent relative-path file writes land in unintended filesystem locations.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-53796?
How do I fix CVE-2026-53796?
Upgrade to a fixed version.
Is CVE-2026-53796 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-53796 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as ALPINE-CVE-2026-53796, AZL-95816, BELL-CVE-2026-53796, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-53796, ECHO-7caf-8f7e-885f, GHSA-w75h-ccff-w53m and 1 more.