Rclone has Improper Permission and Ownership Handling on Symlink Targets with --links and --metadata

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS 4.0

5.4 · CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:L/SI:L/SA:L · score source

EPSS

• CVE-2024-52522: 0.24% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 15.32 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

tl;dr: unprivileged user creates a symlink to /etc/sudoers, /etc/shadow or similar and waits for a privileged user or process to copy/backup/mirror users data (using --links and --metadata). unprivileged user now owns /etc/sudoers. Summary Insecure handling of symlinks with --links and --metadata in rclone while copying to local disk allows unprivileged users to indirectly modify ownership and permissions on symlink target files when a superuser or privileged process performs a copy. This vulnerability could enable privilege escalation and unauthorized access to critical system files (e.g., /etc/shadow), compromising system integrity, confidentiality, and availability. For instance, an unprivileged user could set a symlink to a sensitive file within their home directory, waiting for an administrator or automated process (e.g., a cron job running with elevated privileges) to copy their files with rclone using the --links and --metadata options. Upon copying, rclone will incorrectly…

Published by the source

19 Nov 2024, 20:36 UTC

Last modified by the source

19 Nov 2024, 20:36 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 15:08 UTC

1. Revision 1 · created · 26 Oct 2026

   Published from ghsa record GHSA-hrxh-9w67-g4cv

Preview the exact text before you copy it. Commands are read-only suggestions; review them before running anything.

# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2024-52522

Advisory: Rclone has Improper Permission and Ownership Handling on Symlink Targets with --links and --metadata
IDs: CVE-2024-52522, GHSA-hrxh-9w67-g4cv
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2024-52522 (revision 1, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 15:08 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Medium (CVSS 5.4)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: github.com/rclone/rclone 1.68.2. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- Go github.com/rclone/rclone: affected >= 1.59.0, < 1.68.2; fixed in 1.68.2

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- Go github.com/rclone/rclone: check the installed version with your package manager.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on github.com/rclone/rclone.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-hrxh-9w67-g4cv (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-hrxh-9w67-g4cv lists affected ranges: Go github.com/rclone/rclone >=1.59.0 <1.68.2)

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