CVE-2026-53798
Received Received - Intake

Privilege Confusion in Rsync Due to Name-Converter Subprocess

Publication date: 2026-08-13

Last updated on: 2026-08-13

Assigner: VulnCheck

Description
rsync tbefore 3.5.0 contains a privilege confusion vulnerability in the name-converter subprocess uid/gid mapping that allows local attackers to cause transferred files to be owned by root by influencing name-converter responses to return empty values. When the name-converter subprocess returns an empty response for a uid or gid lookup, rsync incorrectly interprets it as a successful resolution to uid/gid 0 (root) rather than a lookup failure, and if the name-converter also signals fake super-user status, rsync proceeds with root ownership assignments for transferred files.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-08-13
Last Modified
2026-08-13
Generated
2026-08-13
AI Q&A
2026-08-13
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-53798
EUVD
EUVD-2026-58094

Affected Vendors & Products

Currently, no data is known.

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Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-704 The product does not correctly convert an object, resource, or structure from one type to a different type.

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability affects rsync versions before 3.5.0. It involves a privilege confusion flaw in the name-converter subprocess where local attackers can manipulate responses to return empty values. Rsync incorrectly interprets these as successful lookups for uid/gid 0 (root), especially if the name-converter signals super-user status. This causes transferred files to be assigned root ownership.

Detection Guidance

Check rsync version with 'rsync --version'. If it shows a version before 3.5.0, the system is vulnerable. Inspect rsync daemon configuration files for 'fake super = yes' settings and name-converter usage.

Impact Analysis

An attacker could exploit this to cause files transferred via rsync to be owned by root instead of the intended user. This could lead to unintended privilege escalation, where files are accessible or modifiable only by root, disrupting normal system operations or security policies.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could impact compliance by allowing unauthorized root access to files, potentially violating data integrity and access control requirements in GDPR and HIPAA. Unintended root ownership of files may lead to unauthorized data exposure or modification, breaching regulatory standards.

Mitigation Strategies

Upgrade rsync to version 3.5.0 or later immediately. Disable 'fake super = yes' in rsync daemon configurations if enabled. Review and restrict access to rsync daemon configurations and name-converter scripts.

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