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.
CVE-2026-53789
This high-severity CVE scores 8.1 under NVD CVSS v3. EPSS exploit probability: 0.4%, top 70% of all CVEs by exploit prediction. GitHub Security Advisory data not yet ingested — confidence will rise once GHSA publishes (typical lag: hours to days for open-source ecosystem CVEs; never for infrastructure-only CVEs).
- High severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet
A fix is available — apply it.
- CVSS v3
- 8.1
- EG Score
- 8.1(medium)
- EG Risk
- 37(Track)EG Risk 37/100SSVC: Track
EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score: it fuses intrinsic severity with real-world exploitation and automatability so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner. Distinct from the 0–10 EG Score (severity).
How it’s computedSeverity81% × 45%Exploitation0% × 40%Automatability0% × 15%Action: Routine — remediate on your standard cadence. - EPSS PROB
- 0%
- EPSS %ILE
- 30%
- KEV
- Not listed
Published
August 13, 2026
Last Modified
August 31, 2026
Advisory Details (3)
Auto-updated Aug 13, 2026rsync < 3.5.0 Arbitrary File Deletion via Malicious File List | Advisories | VulnCheck
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/rsync-arbitrary-file-deletion-via-malicious-file-listv3.5.0
Patch available: RsyncProject/rsync v3.5.0
https://github.com/RsyncProject/rsync/releases/tag/v3.5.0rsync: malicious sender expands --delete scope by reclassifying an implied parent · Advisory · RsyncProject/rsync · GitHub
Affected: 3.5.0. (Precise introduced-in ranges being finalised.)
https://github.com/RsyncProject/rsync/security/advisories/GHSA-fxwg-7hmf-xh5qVendor Advisories for CVE-2026-53789(1)
These vendors published their own advisory mentioning this CVE — often with vendor-specific remediation steps + affected product lists not in NVD.
Patch Availability(2)
| Vendor / Ecosystem | Fixed in / Patch | Released | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| redhat | rsync-0:3.5.0-3.el10_2 | 2026-09-14 | redhat |
| redhat | rsync-0:3.2.7-1.el9_8 | 2026-09-14 | redhat |
Patches are aggregated from vendor advisories (Red Hat, Microsoft, Cisco, GitHub) and package ecosystems (OSV, GHSA). Multiple rows for the same upstream release have been deduplicated.
Affected Packages
(7 across 7 ecosystems)
Alpine:v3.21(1)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fixed in | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| rsync | — | 3.5.0-r0 | — |
Alpine:v3.22(1)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fixed in | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| rsync | — | 3.5.0-r0 | — |
Alpine:v3.23(1)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fixed in | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| rsync | — | 3.5.0-r0 | — |
Alpine:v3.24(1)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fixed in | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| rsync | — | 3.5.0-r0 | — |
Debian:12(1)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fixed in | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| rsync | 3.2.7-1 ... 3.5.0+ds1-2 (30 versions) | — | — |
Debian:13(1)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fixed in | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| rsync | 3.4.1+ds1-5 ... 3.5.0+ds1-2 (15 versions) | — | — |
Debian:14(1)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fixed in | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| rsync | 3.4.1+ds1-5 ... 3.4.4+ds1-1 (9 versions) | 3.5.0+ds1-1 | — |
Weakness Classification(1)
MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.
Additional Vendor Advisories
(1)
Vendors that published advisories for this CVE beyond the curated set above. Broader coverage but minimal per-row detail — click through for the original advisory.
Data Freshness Timeline
(refreshed 16× in last 7d / 57× in last 30d)
Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.
- 2026-09-19 06:07 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-09-19 06:07 UTCVendor advisory
- 2026-09-18 19:28 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-09-18 16:53 UTCVendor advisory
- 2026-09-18 02:26 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-09-18 02:26 UTCVendor advisory
- 2026-09-17 13:19 UTCVendor advisory
- 2026-09-17 00:00 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-09-17 00:00 UTCVendor advisory
- 2026-09-16 14:08 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-09-16 05:15 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-09-16 01:08 UTCVendor advisory
- 2026-09-15 09:59 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-09-14 04:24 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-09-13 16:47 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-09-13 02:09 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-09-11 23:55 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-09-11 14:53 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-09-10 20:20 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-09-10 09:35 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-09-09 04:58 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-09-08 22:01 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-09-07 16:33 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-09-07 16:01 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-09-06 19:57 UTCEG score recompute
Show 48 moreShow fewer
- 2026-09-06 13:47 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-09-05 17:31 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-09-04 14:56 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-09-04 05:06 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-09-02 23:11 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-09-02 14:12 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-09-01 20:18 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-09-01 13:54 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-09-01 06:16 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-09-01 04:40 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-08-31 15:41 UTCEG score recompute▲ 1.60
- 2026-08-31 15:40 UTCNVD updateCVSS v3 → 8.1 · severity → HIGH
- 2026-08-31 12:05 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-08-30 19:17 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-08-30 09:54 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-08-30 01:22 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-08-29 07:41 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-08-28 21:41 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-08-27 19:34 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-08-27 14:25 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-08-26 17:26 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-08-26 14:46 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-08-26 01:32 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-08-25 13:49 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-08-24 23:25 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-08-23 21:18 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-08-23 00:19 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-08-22 19:11 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-08-21 23:49 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-08-21 17:04 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-08-20 22:55 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-08-20 14:57 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-08-19 17:04 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-08-19 12:49 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-08-18 13:48 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-08-18 10:42 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-08-17 13:47 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-08-17 08:34 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-08-16 14:56 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-08-16 06:27 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-08-16 02:14 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-08-15 04:20 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-08-15 03:23 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-08-15 01:30 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-08-14 13:14 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-08-13 15:24 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-08-13 15:12 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-08-13 15:11 UTCMITRE cvelistV5first tracked
Frequently asked(5)
What is CVE-2026-53789?
When was CVE-2026-53789 disclosed?
Is CVE-2026-53789 actively exploited?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-53789?
How do I remediate CVE-2026-53789?
Dependency Blast Radius
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