CVE-2024-12084: 
rsync vulnerability analysis and mitigation

A critical heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability (CVE-2024-12084) was discovered in the rsync daemon, affecting versions 3.2.7 through 3.3.0. The vulnerability was disclosed on January 14, 2025, and stems from improper handling of attacker-controlled checksum lengths (s2length) in the code. When MAXDIGESTLEN exceeds the fixed SUM_LENGTH (16 bytes), an attacker can write out of bounds in the sum2 buffer (NVD, CERT).

The vulnerability has been assigned a CVSS v3.1 score of 9.8 (Critical) with the vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, indicating network accessibility, low attack complexity, and no required privileges or user interaction. The flaw is classified as CWE-122 (Heap-based Buffer Overflow) and affects the rsync daemon's checksum handling mechanism (NVD, Red Hat).

The vulnerability can lead to remote code execution in the targeted process, potentially allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the rsync daemon. According to security researchers, this vulnerability affects over 600,000 systems exposed to the Internet, making it a significant security risk (Sysdig).

Organizations are advised to upgrade all instances of rsync to version 3.4.0, which addresses this vulnerability. If immediate patching is not possible, it is recommended to ensure that rsync instances are not exposed to the Internet and to restrict access to TCP port 873 through firewall rules or security groups. For containerized environments, monitoring and response mechanisms can be implemented to detect and prevent potential exploitation (Sysdig).