Rclone: Server-side request forgery via --rc-serve scheme-relative roots
Summary
The --rc-serve option of rclone exposes existing named remotes without authentication. A root starting with a double slash is accepted for http and netstorage remotes and redirects the request to an attacker-chosen host and port. An unauthenticated attacker who knows a remote's name can read responses, capture the remote's configured custom headers, or obtain NetStorage request signatures. Exposure requires --rc-serve to be enabled and reachable without RC HTTP authentication.
Affected
- rclone 1.37 up to before 1.74.2 according to the CVE record and the GitHub advisory
- The reporter also reproduced the issue on v1.75.1, so the exact fixed version is unclear
Fixed in
- Unclear. The CVE record and the GitHub advisory name 1.74.2; the vendor changelog reportedly lists the fix under v1.75.2.
- Install the newest release. The vendor provides security fixes only for the latest version and the latest beta.
Workaround
- Do not expose --rc-serve to untrusted networks, and disable it where it is not needed.
- Restrict outbound connections from rclone hosts with firewall rules or reverse proxies.
- Enable RC HTTP authentication and keep the default loopback bind.
Exploitation
- No public exploit code has been confirmed as of the data snapshot.
- Not listed in the CISA KEV catalog at the time of research; re-check.
- A nuclei-templates pull request titled 'Add CVE-2026-116192' exists; its content has not been verified.
Our recommendation
- Upgrade all rclone installations to the newest release and verify the fix against the GitHub advisory.
- Check whether --rc-serve is enabled on any host and whether it is reachable from untrusted networks.
- Rotate secrets stored in custom headers of HTTP remotes if exposure is possible.
- Monitor rclone hosts for unexpected outbound HTTP requests.
Public exploits
PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit and Exploit-DB list nothing for this CVE.
Research sources
- GitHub Security Advisory GHSA-xqmq-v4wj-rw5m github.com
- VulnCheck advisory for CVE-2026-116192 www.vulncheck.com
- OSV entry BIT-rclone-2026-116192 osv.dev
- rclone changelog rclone.org
- rclone releases github.com
- rclone security policy github.com
- Ubuntu CVE tracker entry ubuntu.com
- OpenCVE entry CVE-2026-116192 app.opencve.io
Researched and written up in English and German by an AI (Claude by Anthropic) based on NVD, CISA, EPSS and the sources listed. The vendor information is authoritative. Researched on 1 Nov 2026, 15:02.
Original description (NVD)
rclone from 1.37 before 1.74.2 contains a server-side request forgery vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to redirect http and netstorage backend requests by supplying a double-slash root on an existing named remote via --rc-serve. Attackers can make HEAD/GET requests to attacker-chosen hosts to read responses, capture configured custom headers, or obtain valid NetStorage request signatures.
Sources
The tracker combines official, freely usable data sources – updated continuously:
- NVD (NIST) – CVEs, rating (CVSS), affected products
- CISA KEV – vulnerabilities confirmed by CISA as actively exploited
- CISA Vulnrichment – CISA assessment (SSVC) in the official CVE record
- FIRST EPSS – probability of exploitation
- Microsoft MSRC – Patch Tuesday: vulnerabilities, severity, updates
- PoC-in-GitHub – public proof-of-concept repositories
- Metasploit (Rapid7) – modules of the Metasploit Framework
- Exploit-DB (OffSec) – archive of public exploits (links only)
- Patch days: official vendor pages (linked per vendor) (Vendor patch days)
This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS data © FIRST.org.
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