---
id: CVE-2026-53794
title: "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"
summary: "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 …"
severity: medium
cvss: 5.3
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L'
cwe:
  - CWE-1284
published: '2026-08-13'
updated: '2026-09-08'
sourceUpdated: '2026-09-08T20:28:37.587'
source: NVD
sourceUrl: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-53794'
references:
  - url: 'https://github.com/RsyncProject/rsync/releases/tag/v3.5.0'
    label: disclosure@vulncheck.com
  - url: >-
      https://github.com/RsyncProject/rsync/security/advisories/GHSA-p827-vwcp-m964
    label: disclosure@vulncheck.com
  - url: >-
      https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/rsync-denial-of-service-via-max-alloc-0-logic-error
    label: disclosure@vulncheck.com
tags:
  - nvd
epss: 0.00507
epssPercentile: 0.40626
ingestedAt: '2026-09-08T21:11:12.277Z'
---

## Overview

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.

## Remediation

Refer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.