CVE-2024-12087
MediumCVSS 6.5Exploitation Probability (EPSS)
High risk80th percentile - higher than 80% of all known CVEs
Summary
A path traversal vulnerability was found in rsync, caused by the `--inc-recursive` option (enabled by default for many clients and can be forced by the server). Insufficient symlink verification combined with per-file-list deduplication checks allows a server to write files outside the client's intended destination directory.
Risk Assessment
A malicious rsync server can overwrite or place malicious files in arbitrary locations on the client, matching valid directory/path names. This could lead to system compromise or malware installation.
Recommendation
Immediately update rsync to a patched version. Until then, avoid using the `--inc-recursive` option and connecting to untrusted rsync servers.
Original NVD description (English source)
A path traversal vulnerability exists in rsync. It stems from behavior enabled by the `--inc-recursive` option, a default-enabled option for many client options and can be enabled by the server even if not explicitly enabled by the client. When using the `--inc-recursive` option, a lack of proper symlink verification coupled with deduplication checks occurring on a per-file-list basis could allow a server to write files outside of the client's intended destination directory. A malicious server could write malicious files to arbitrary locations named after valid directories/paths on the client.