CVE-2026-54572 rclone: Unvalidated symlink target in local `--links` — arbitrary file write from an untrusted remote
An attacker can exploit unvalidated symlink targets in rclone's --links mode to write arbitrary files outside the destination directory.
- 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
What is CVE-2026-54572?
CVE-2026-54572 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in rclone, published on 14 Jul 2026. 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
Rclone is a command-line program to sync files and directories to and from different cloud storage providers. Prior to 1.74.4, with -l/--links, rclone serializes symlinks as .rclonelink text objects and recreates them on a local destination without validating the target, allowing an attacker-controlled remote to plant an escaping symlink and cause a following object write to land outside the destination with attacker-chosen contents. This issue is fixed in version 1.74.4.
Weakness: CWE-59
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-54572?
4 open source packages ship an affected version, including github.com/rclone/rclone and rclone. It affects 1 product.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
github.com/rclone/rclone Go | All versions | 1.74.4 |
github.com/rclone/rclone Go | All versions | 1.74.4 |
github.com/rclone/rclone Go | All versions | 1.74.4 |
rclone Bitnami | All versions | 1.74.4 |
Products include Rclone Rclone.
How do I fix CVE-2026-54572?
Upgrade github.com/rclone/rclone to 1.74.4 or later.
Upgrade, and resolve every user-supplied path against an allowed base folder before opening it. More about Path traversal.
Is CVE-2026-54572 being exploited?
It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-54572 exists.
Other vulnerabilities in rclone
- CVE-2026-88018 rclone serve s3: --auth-proxy without --auth-key authenticates nobody - full SigV4 signature bypass
- CVE-2026-49980 Rclone: Unauthenticated command execution in `rclone rcd --rc-serve` via inline remote instantiation, bypassing CVE-2026-41179 fix
- CVE-2026-41179 RClone: Unauthenticated operations/fsinfo allows attacker-controlled backend instantiation and local command execution
- CVE-2026-41176 Rclone: Unauthenticated options/set allows runtime auth bypass, leading to sensitive operations and command execution
- CVE-2026-59733 rclone `serve restic --private-repos` authorization bypass: `..` in the URL path lets an authenticated user read, overwrite and delete other users' repositories
Sources
Also known as BIT-rclone-2026-54572, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-54572, GHSA-cf44-9pgv-m4xc, GO-2026-6191, MINI-4qqh-2gwc-2vq7, MINI-657r-6fww-m9hp and 6 more.