CVE-2026-53794
rsync < 3.5.0 Denial of Service via --max-alloc=0 Logic Error
- State
- Published
- Severity
- 6.9 Medium
- Published
- Aug 13, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 14, 2026
- Reserved
- Jun 10, 2026
Description
rsync before 3.5.0 contains a logic error in --max-alloc handling that allows a sender or configuration setting --max-alloc=0 to disable allocation sanity checks entirely rather than enforcing a zero-byte cap. Attackers can exploit this flaw to cause the receiver to attempt unbounded memory allocations for file list and data structures, potentially exhausting available memory and causing a denial of service.
Scores
| CVSS | Score | Vector | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.0 | 6.9 Medium | CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N | VulnCheck |
| 3.1 | 5.3 Medium | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L | VulnCheck |
Weaknesses
- CWE-1284 Improper Validation of Specified Quantity in Input
Affected Products
| Product | Versions |
|---|---|
rsyncRsyncProject |
|
References
- GitHub Security Advisory (GHSA-p827-vwcp-m964)vendor-advisory
- rsync 3.5.0 Release Notesrelease-notes
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/rsync-denial-of-service-via-max-alloc-0-logic-errorthird-party-advisory
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