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RsyncApplication

CVE-2007-4091

MEDIUM · 6.8 CVSS v2.0 Published 2007-08-16
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
77/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Multiple off-by-one errors in the sender.c in rsync 2.6.9 might allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via directory names that are not properly handled when calling the f_name function.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

Multiple off-by-one errors in the sender.c component of rsync 2.6.9 fail to properly handle directory names when processing them through the f_name function, potentially allowing remote attackers to overflow buffers and execute arbitrary code.

MitigationUpgrade rsync to a version newer than 2.6.9 that includes the patched sender.c, or apply the specific vendor patch for this vulnerability. Restrict network exposure of rsync services as a compensating control until patching is feasible.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
RsyncApplication
Affected:= 2.6.9

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Partial
Integrity
Partial
Availability
Partial

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify rsync installation
    Run 'rsync --version' or 'rsync -V' to display version information
    Affected if The version displayed is 2.6.9 exactly
  2. Verify sender.c is in use
    Confirm rsync is being used in daemon mode or receiving files from a remote sender, as the vulnerability exists in the sender.c component
    Affected if rsync daemon mode or remote pull/push operations are in use with version 2.6.9
  3. Check for directory processing activity
    Review rsync logs or active connections for directory transfers, as the flaw triggers when f_name processes directory names
    Affected if Directories are being transferred via rsync version 2.6.9

A system is affected only if rsync version 2.6.9 is installed and actively processing directory transfers either as a daemon or in remote sync operations.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade rsync to a version newer than 2.6.9 that includes the patched sender.c, or apply the specific vendor patch for this vulnerability. Restrict network exposure of rsync services as a compensating control until patching is feasible.

Fix this in Rsync Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2007-4091 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data