Execution with unnecessary privileges in nix - CVE-2024-51481
Published: October 31, 2024 / Updated: April 8, 2026
Vulnerability identifier: #VU125378
CSH Severity: Low
CVSS v4.0: CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:A/VC:L/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Clear
CVE-ID: CVE-2024-51481
CWE-ID: CWE-250
Exploitation vector: Local access
Exploit availability:
No public exploit available
Vendor: nixos.org
Affected software:
nix
nix
Detailed vulnerability description
The vulnerability allows a local user to read and modify files outside of the sandbox.
The vulnerability exists due to improper sandbox enforcement in built-in builders when executing built-in builders such as builtin:fetchurl on macOS. A local user can invoke a built-in builder to read and modify files outside of the sandbox.
On affected systems, built-in builders also had permission to create new paths in the Nix store.
How to mitigate CVE-2024-51481
Install security update from vendor's website.