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Freedom251 › Blog › Btrfs

Is Btrfs Receive Safer Than rsync in LXD for CVE-2026-87799?

By Freedom251 Team · · 3 min read

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No. For CVE-2026-87799, both rsync and optimized btrfs receive transfers can follow symlinks in incoming migration data and write files outside the intended volume on the receiving host. Changing between those paths is not a mitigation; install a fixed LXD release or package, and limit migration and volume-creation access until the fix is in place.

What differs between rsync and Btrfs receive?

The difference is the transfer mechanism LXD invokes, not whether this vulnerability can affect the receiving host. LXD uses rsync on standard instance or custom-volume migration receive paths, and btrfs receive for optimized transfers between Btrfs pools. Canonical says both receivers replay incoming data using host path-based operations that can follow symlinks in paths they write to. Canonical’s LXD advisory describes the vulnerability and its scope.

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Receive path Where LXD uses it CVE-2026-87799 status Why
rsync Standard instance or custom-volume migration receive paths Affected Later entries can be written through a symlink created earlier in the transfer when parent directories are not retransferred.
btrfs receive Optimized transfers between Btrfs pools Affected Stream operations, including file writes and renames, use ordinary path-based calls and are not verified against the intended real filesystem.
zfs receive Optimized ZFS transfers Not affected by this CVE, according to Canonical Canonical says this receiver does not resolve host paths. This is a narrow claim about this vulnerability, not a general security guarantee for ZFS.

How can a migration write outside its volume?

The risk is on the privileged receiving host. A malicious migration source can arrange for an early stream entry to create a symlink such as rootfs pointing to /, then have later entries write through that link. The advisory also describes writes arriving in a subsequent snapshot or main-volume stream. For virtual machines, the corresponding path can involve replacing root.img with a symlink before writing the block stream through it.

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The impact described by Canonical is arbitrary attacker-controlled file writes as root, with potential full host compromise. For LXD versions before 7.3.0, the advisory additionally describes a rootfs symlink surviving transfer and being followed by the file API during container chroot, enabling host-file reads as well as writes.

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Who can trigger the exposure?

An attacker needs a way to make the target receive malicious migration data. Canonical identifies users who can create instances or custom storage volumes in the target project, as well as an attacker who controls a source server the target is instructed to copy or move from. The practical security boundary is therefore the combination of project permissions and trust in the migration source—not the choice between rsync and Btrfs.

Which LXD versions are fixed?

Canonical’s advisory, published September 25, 2026, lists LXD versions 4.0 and later as affected and names these fixed upstream releases: 4.0.14, 5.0.10, 5.21.8, 6.9-bf243da, and 6.10. The advisory rates the issue Critical with CVSS 9.9. Check the exact package and its backport status for your operating system; a distribution package version and its security-fix status do not necessarily map directly to an upstream version number. Canonical LXD advisory

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Ubuntu status

Ubuntu’s CVE page, published September 29 and updated September 30, 2026, also reports CVSS 9.9 Critical, while assigning Ubuntu priority Medium. At the time of that page’s stated update, Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04, and 22.04 were marked “Not in release”; 20.04, 18.04, and 16.04 were marked “Needs evaluation.” These are the page’s displayed statuses, not a statement about other package sources or subsequent updates. Check the current Ubuntu CVE-2026-87799 record for your release.

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Debian status

At the time accessed, Debian’s tracker listed Bookworm package 5.0.2-5+deb12u6 and Trixie package 5.0.2+git20231211.1364ae4-9+deb13u7 as vulnerable, with unstable shown as unfixed. Confirm the current package record and any vendor backports in the Debian Security Tracker before drawing conclusions about a system.

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What should LXD operators do?

  1. Install an applicable fixed release or distribution package carrying the fix. Verify the installed package’s security status with the relevant vendor rather than relying only on its upstream-looking version string.
  2. Until patched, restrict instance and custom-volume creation to trusted clients in the affected target projects.
  3. Accept migrations only from trusted source servers until the receiving system is fixed.
  4. Do not treat switching receive paths as a workaround. Both rsync and optimized Btrfs receive are within the advisory’s affected scope. Canonical’s ZFS exception is specific to this CVE and is not a substitute for patching or controlling who can send migration data.

A post-transfer symlink check does not prevent the writes that may already occur while a stream is being applied. The effective response is to fix the receiving LXD installation and limit who can supply data to it.

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BtrfsCVE-2026-87799Linux securityLXDrsync

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