Use of Cryptographically Weak Pseudo-Random Number Generator in RcloneGHSA-rmw5-xpg9-jr29
HIGHGHSA-rmw5-xpg9-jr29 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) CWE-331 vulnerability in github.com/rclone/rclone. 1 public exploit or proof-of-concept reference is indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for github.com/rclone/rclone — see the affected versions and patch details below.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
Where this sits among everything scored
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
An issue was discovered in Rclone before 1.53.3. Due to the use of a weak random number generator, the password generator has been producing weak passwords with much less entropy than advertised. The suggested passwords depend deterministically on the time the second rclone was started. This limits the entropy of the passwords enormously. These passwords are often used in the crypt backend for encryption of data. It would be possible to make a dictionary of all possible passwords with about 38 million entries per password length. This would make decryption of secret material possible with a plausible amount of effort. NOTE: all passwords generated by affected versions should be changed.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/rclone/rclone | all versions | 1.53.3go get github.com/rclone/rclone@v1.53.3 |
Affected Products
fedorafedoraprojectrclonercloneResearch use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
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 1.53.3 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-rmw5-xpg9-jr29 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-rmw5-xpg9-jr29 in your dependencies?
Find it across Go, including transitive dependencies.