CVE-2026-53798: CWE-704 Incorrect Type Conversion or Cast in RsyncProject rsync
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.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
CVE-2026-53798 is a vulnerability in RsyncProject's rsync software prior to version 3.5.0. The issue arises in the name-converter subprocess responsible for uid/gid mapping. When this subprocess returns an empty response for a uid or gid lookup, rsync incorrectly treats it as a successful resolution to uid/gid 0 (root) rather than a failure. If the name-converter also signals fake super-user status, rsync assigns root ownership to transferred files, enabling local attackers to escalate privileges via crafted name-converter responses.
Potential Impact
Local attackers can exploit this vulnerability to cause files transferred by rsync to be owned by root, potentially leading to unauthorized privilege escalation or unauthorized file ownership changes on the affected system.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. No official fix or temporary workaround is currently documented. Users should monitor vendor communications for updates and avoid running untrusted name-converter subprocesses or limit local access to trusted users until a fix is available.
CVE-2026-53798: CWE-704 Incorrect Type Conversion or Cast in RsyncProject rsync
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.
CVSS v4.0
Score 6.9medium
Affected software
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Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
CVE-2026-53798 is a vulnerability in RsyncProject's rsync software prior to version 3.5.0. The issue arises in the name-converter subprocess responsible for uid/gid mapping. When this subprocess returns an empty response for a uid or gid lookup, rsync incorrectly treats it as a successful resolution to uid/gid 0 (root) rather than a failure. If the name-converter also signals fake super-user status, rsync assigns root ownership to transferred files, enabling local attackers to escalate privileges via crafted name-converter responses.
Potential Impact
Local attackers can exploit this vulnerability to cause files transferred by rsync to be owned by root, potentially leading to unauthorized privilege escalation or unauthorized file ownership changes on the affected system.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. No official fix or temporary workaround is currently documented. Users should monitor vendor communications for updates and avoid running untrusted name-converter subprocesses or limit local access to trusted users until a fix is available.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- VulnCheck
- Date Reserved
- 2026-06-10T20:14:32.828Z
- Cvss Version
- 4.0
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
Threat ID: 6a7ddec6bf8831d5395cfcf7
Added to database: 08/13/2026, 15:12:06 UTC
Last enriched: 08/13/2026, 15:44:01 UTC
Last updated: 08/13/2026, 17:43:31 UTC
Views: 4
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