rclone: Unvalidated symlink target in local --links — arbitrary file write from an untrusted remote

Exploitation

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

CVSS

7.5 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:H/A:L

EPSS

• CVE-2026-54572: 0.40% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 34.76 (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.

Summary With -l/--links, rclone serializes symlinks as <name.rclonelink text objects whose body is the link target. When rclone writes such an object to a local destination, it recreates the symlink with os.Symlink(<object body, <dest path) and performs NO validation of the target. If the source is attacker-controlled, the attacker sets the body to any absolute or ../ path, so rclone plants a symlink inside the destination that points anywhere on the victim's filesystem. Because a sibling object named <name.rclonelink sorts before <name/..., rclone creates the escaping symlink first and then writes a following object "inside" it; mkdirAll/OpenFile follow the planted symlink, so the file lands OUTSIDE the destination with attacker-chosen contents. This yields arbitrary file write as the victim user, e.g. overwriting ~/.ssh/authorizedkeys, ~/.bashrc, or a crontab — i.e. code execution. Details backend/local/local.go, Object.Update(): symlinkData is the raw body of the source object,…

Published by the source

5 Aug 2026, 20:15 UTC

Last modified by the source

18 Aug 2026, 17:24 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 15:28 UTC

1. Revision 3 · amended · 26 Oct 2026

   Amended from ghsa record GHSA-cf44-9pgv-m4xc

2. Revision 2 · amended · 24 Oct 2026

   Amended from osv record GO-2026-6191

3. Revision 1 · created · 24 Oct 2026

   Published from osv record GHSA-cf44-9pgv-m4xc

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2026-54572

Advisory: rclone: Unvalidated symlink target in local `--links` — arbitrary file write from an untrusted remote
IDs: CVE-2026-54572, GHSA-cf44-9pgv-m4xc
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2026-54572 (revision 3, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 15:28 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: High (CVSS 7.5)
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 1.74.4. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- Go github.com/rclone/rclone: affected <= 1.74.3; fixed in 1.74.4

## 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://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-cf44-9pgv-m4xc (OSV record GHSA-cf44-9pgv-m4xc lists affected ranges: Go github.com/rclone/rclone >=0 <1.74.4 (fixed))
- Verified: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GO-2026-6191 (OSV record GO-2026-6191 lists affected ranges: Go github.com/rclone/rclone >=0 <1.74.4 (fixed))
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-cf44-9pgv-m4xc (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-cf44-9pgv-m4xc lists affected ranges: Go github.com/rclone/rclone >=0 <=1.74.3)

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