Skip to content

Rclone: Unauthenticated options/set allows runtime auth bypass, leading to sensitive operations and command execution

Critical severity GitHub Reviewed Published Apr 19, 2026 in rclone/rclone • Updated Apr 23, 2026

Package

gomod github.com/rclone/rclone (Go)

Affected versions

>= 1.45.0, < 1.73.5

Patched versions

1.73.5

Description

Summary

The RC endpoint options/set is exposed without AuthRequired: true, but it can mutate global runtime configuration, including the RC option block itself. An unauthenticated attacker can set rc.NoAuth=true, which disables the authorization gate for many RC methods registered with AuthRequired: true on reachable RC servers that are started without global HTTP authentication. This can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive administrative functionality, including configuration and operational RC methods.

Preconditions

Preconditions for this vulnerability are:

  • The rclone remote control API must be enabled, either by the --rc flag or by running the rclone rcd server
  • The remote control API must be reachable by the attacker - by default rclone only serves the rc to localhost unless the --rc-addr flag is in use
  • The rc must have been deployed without global RC HTTP authentication - so not using --rc-user/--rc-pass/--rc-htpasswd/etc

Details

The root cause is present from v1.45 onward. Some higher-impact exploitation paths became available in later releases as additional RC functionality was introduced.

The issue is caused by two properties of the RC implementation:

  1. options/set is exposed without AuthRequired: true
  2. the RC server enforces authorization for AuthRequired calls using the mutable runtime value s.opt.NoAuth

Relevant code paths:

  • fs/rc/config.go

    • registers options/set without AuthRequired: true
    • rcOptionsSet reshapes attacker-controlled input into global option blocks

  • fs/rc/rcserver/rcserver.go

    • request handling checks:
      • if !s.opt.NoAuth && call.AuthRequired && !s.server.UsingAuth()
    • once rc.NoAuth is changed to true, later AuthRequired methods become callable without credentials

This creates a runtime auth-bypass primitive on the RC interface.

After setting rc.NoAuth=true, previously protected administrative methods become callable, including configuration and operational endpoints such as:

  • config/listremotes
  • config/dump
  • config/get
  • operations/list
  • operations/copyfile
  • core/command

Relevant code for the second-stage command execution path:

  • fs/metadata.go

    • metadataMapper() uses exec.Command(...)

  • fs/operations/rc.go

    • operations/copyfile is normally AuthRequired: true
    • once rc.NoAuth=true, it becomes reachable without credentials

This was validating using the following:

  • current master as of 2026-04-14: bf55d5e6d37fd86164a87782191f9e1ffcaafa82
  • latest public release tested locally: v1.73.4

The issue was also verified on a public amd64 Ubuntu host controlled by the tester, using direct host execution (not containerized PoC execution).

PoC

Minimal reproduction

Start a vulnerable server:

rclone rcd --rc-addr 127.0.0.1:5572

No --rc-user, no --rc-pass, no --rc-htpasswd.

First confirm that a protected RC method is initially blocked:

curl -sS -X POST http://127.0.0.1:5572/config/listremotes \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data '{}'

Expected result: HTTP 403.

Use unauthenticated options/set to disable the auth gate:

curl -sS -X POST http://127.0.0.1:5572/options/set \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data '{"rc":{"NoAuth":true}}'

Expected result: HTTP 200 {}

Then call the same protected method again without credentials:

curl -sS -X POST http://127.0.0.1:5572/config/listremotes \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data '{}'

Expected result: HTTP 200 with a JSON response such as:

{"remotes":[]}

Testing performed

This was successfully reproduced:

  • on the tester's ocal test environment
  • on a public amd64 Ubuntu host controlled by the tester

Using the public host, the following was confirmed:

  • unauthenticated options/set successfully set rc.NoAuth=true
  • previously protected RC methods became callable without credentials
  • the issue was reproducible through direct host execution

Impact

This is an authorization bypass on the RC administrative interface.

It can allow an unauthenticated network attacker, on a reachable RC deployment without global HTTP authentication, to disable the intended auth boundary for protected RC methods and gain access to sensitive configuration and operational functionality.

Depending on the enabled RC surface and runtime configuration, this can further enable higher-impact outcomes such as local file read, credential/config disclosure, filesystem enumeration, and command execution.

References

@ncw ncw published to rclone/rclone Apr 19, 2026
Published to the GitHub Advisory Database Apr 22, 2026
Reviewed Apr 22, 2026
Last updated Apr 23, 2026

Severity

Critical

CVSS overall score

This score calculates overall vulnerability severity from 0 to 10 and is based on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).
/ 10

CVSS v4 base metrics

Exploitability Metrics
Attack Vector Network
Attack Complexity Low
Attack Requirements Present
Privileges Required None
User interaction None
Vulnerable System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality High
Integrity High
Availability High
Subsequent System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality None
Integrity None
Availability None

CVSS v4 base metrics

Exploitability Metrics
Attack Vector: This metric reflects the context by which vulnerability exploitation is possible. This metric value (and consequently the resulting severity) will be larger the more remote (logically, and physically) an attacker can be in order to exploit the vulnerable system. The assumption is that the number of potential attackers for a vulnerability that could be exploited from across a network is larger than the number of potential attackers that could exploit a vulnerability requiring physical access to a device, and therefore warrants a greater severity.
Attack Complexity: This metric captures measurable actions that must be taken by the attacker to actively evade or circumvent existing built-in security-enhancing conditions in order to obtain a working exploit. These are conditions whose primary purpose is to increase security and/or increase exploit engineering complexity. A vulnerability exploitable without a target-specific variable has a lower complexity than a vulnerability that would require non-trivial customization. This metric is meant to capture security mechanisms utilized by the vulnerable system.
Attack Requirements: This metric captures the prerequisite deployment and execution conditions or variables of the vulnerable system that enable the attack. These differ from security-enhancing techniques/technologies (ref Attack Complexity) as the primary purpose of these conditions is not to explicitly mitigate attacks, but rather, emerge naturally as a consequence of the deployment and execution of the vulnerable system.
Privileges Required: This metric describes the level of privileges an attacker must possess prior to successfully exploiting the vulnerability. The method by which the attacker obtains privileged credentials prior to the attack (e.g., free trial accounts), is outside the scope of this metric. Generally, self-service provisioned accounts do not constitute a privilege requirement if the attacker can grant themselves privileges as part of the attack.
User interaction: This metric captures the requirement for a human user, other than the attacker, to participate in the successful compromise of the vulnerable system. This metric determines whether the vulnerability can be exploited solely at the will of the attacker, or whether a separate user (or user-initiated process) must participate in some manner.
Vulnerable System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality: This metric measures the impact to the confidentiality of the information managed by the VULNERABLE SYSTEM due to a successfully exploited vulnerability. Confidentiality refers to limiting information access and disclosure to only authorized users, as well as preventing access by, or disclosure to, unauthorized ones.
Integrity: This metric measures the impact to integrity of a successfully exploited vulnerability. Integrity refers to the trustworthiness and veracity of information. Integrity of the VULNERABLE SYSTEM is impacted when an attacker makes unauthorized modification of system data. Integrity is also impacted when a system user can repudiate critical actions taken in the context of the system (e.g. due to insufficient logging).
Availability: This metric measures the impact to the availability of the VULNERABLE SYSTEM resulting from a successfully exploited vulnerability. While the Confidentiality and Integrity impact metrics apply to the loss of confidentiality or integrity of data (e.g., information, files) used by the system, this metric refers to the loss of availability of the impacted system itself, such as a networked service (e.g., web, database, email). Since availability refers to the accessibility of information resources, attacks that consume network bandwidth, processor cycles, or disk space all impact the availability of a system.
Subsequent System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality: This metric measures the impact to the confidentiality of the information managed by the SUBSEQUENT SYSTEM due to a successfully exploited vulnerability. Confidentiality refers to limiting information access and disclosure to only authorized users, as well as preventing access by, or disclosure to, unauthorized ones.
Integrity: This metric measures the impact to integrity of a successfully exploited vulnerability. Integrity refers to the trustworthiness and veracity of information. Integrity of the SUBSEQUENT SYSTEM is impacted when an attacker makes unauthorized modification of system data. Integrity is also impacted when a system user can repudiate critical actions taken in the context of the system (e.g. due to insufficient logging).
Availability: This metric measures the impact to the availability of the SUBSEQUENT SYSTEM resulting from a successfully exploited vulnerability. While the Confidentiality and Integrity impact metrics apply to the loss of confidentiality or integrity of data (e.g., information, files) used by the system, this metric refers to the loss of availability of the impacted system itself, such as a networked service (e.g., web, database, email). Since availability refers to the accessibility of information resources, attacks that consume network bandwidth, processor cycles, or disk space all impact the availability of a system.
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

EPSS score

Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS)

This score estimates the probability of this vulnerability being exploited within the next 30 days. Data provided by FIRST.
(86th percentile)

Weaknesses

Missing Authentication for Critical Function

The product does not perform any authentication for functionality that requires a provable user identity or consumes a significant amount of resources. Learn more on MITRE.

CVE ID

CVE-2026-41176

GHSA ID

GHSA-25qr-6mpr-f7qx

Source code

Credits

Loading Checking history
See something to contribute? Suggest improvements for this vulnerability.