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rclone: Directory metadata (chmod/chown/chtimes) applied through a planted symlink in rclone local --links escapes the destination

Type: advisorySource: OSV1 source record

## Summary With `-l/--links`, rclone's local backend recreates a source `.rclonelink` object as a real symlink at the destination **verbatim** (preserved by design for faithful backups). Directory-metadata application, however, does **not** go through the `os.Root` sandbox and does **not** use NOFOLLOW syscalls. A local `Directory` always has `translatedLink=false`, so when the destination path already exists as a planted symlink, rclone applies `chmod`/`chown`/`chtimes` **through** that symlink to a target **outside** the destination tree. An attacker who controls the source contents (malicious/compromised remote, shared bucket) obtains attacker-valued `chmod`/`chown`/`chtimes` of an arbitrary path outside the backup destination. ## Root Cause - `MkdirMetadata` (`backend/local/local.go:895`) calls `f.lstat` (=`os.Lstat`, local.go:465) on the destination path. On a pre-planted symlink, `os.Lstat` succeeds, so the `errors.Is(err, os.ErrNotExist)` branch (local.go:896) that would create a real directory via the `os.Root`-guarded `f.Mkdir` is **not** taken. Instead a `Directory` is built directly on the symlink path. - `writeMetadataToFile` runs raw `os.Chown` (`backend/local/metadata.go:131`) and `os.Chmod` (`metadata.go:158`); `setTimes` runs raw `os.Chtimes` (`backend/local/local.go:1318`). - The CVE-2024-52522 NOFOLLOW fix (`os.Lchown`/`lChmod`/`lChtimes`) is gated on `if o.translatedLink` (metadata.go:128/150, local.go:1315). A `Directory` (`newDirectory`→`newObject` with n

Announced Source revision 1
Original source ↗

GHSA-f8g7-2xjc-7mfh

Primary source · Revision 1

Imported from structured advisory data. Source references identify upstream records or fields; verify affected versions and your deployed configuration.

Security context

Source reference: osv:GHSA-f8g7-2xjc-7mfh

github.com/rclone/rclone

Source reference: /affected/0/package/name

Affected versions
Not stated in this record
Fixed versions
1.75.1

Source reference: /affected/0/ranges

Prerequisites
Not stated in this record

Structured affected-version data

Original package identities and version rules from this source.

[
  {
    "ranges": [
      {
        "type": "SEMVER",
        "events": [
          {
            "introduced": "0"
          },
          {
            "fixed": "1.75.1"
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "package": {
      "name": "github.com/rclone/rclone",
      "purl": "pkg:golang/github.com/rclone/rclone",
      "ecosystem": "Go"
    },
    "database_specific": {
      "source": "https://github.com/github/advisory-database/blob/main/advisories/github-reviewed/2026/09/GHSA-f8g7-2xjc-7mfh/GHSA-f8g7-2xjc-7mfh.json",
      "last_known_affected_version_range": "<= 1.75.0"
    }
  }
]
Related CVEs
CVE-2026-88016

Source reference: /aliases

Publisher severity

No explicit severity was provided.

Event
#14928 · Revision 1
Added to Heist Feed
Publisher date
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