CVE-2024-51481: Nix allows macOS sandbox escape via built-in builders
Nix is a package manager for Linux and other Unix systems. On macOS, built-in builders (such as builtin:fetchurl, exposed to users with import <nix/fetchurl.nix>) were not executed in the macOS sandbox. Thus, these builders (which are running under the nixbld users) had read access to world-readable paths and write access to world-writable paths outside of the sandbox. This issue is fixed in 2.18.9, 2.19.7, 2.20.9, 2.21.5, 2.22.4, 2.23.4, and 2.24.10. Note that sandboxing is not enabled by default on macOS. The Nix sandbox is not primarily intended as a security mechanism, but as an aid to improve reproducibility and purity of Nix builds. However, sandboxing can mitigate the impact of other security issues by limiting what parts of the host system a build has access to.
Affected Software
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2024-51481?
The severity of CVE-2024-51481 is rated as high due to unauthorized access to sensitive data on macOS.
How do I fix CVE-2024-51481?
To fix CVE-2024-51481, update Nix to version 2.18.10 or later, or to any version beyond 2.19.7, 2.20.9, 2.21.5, 2.22.4, 2.23.4, or 2.24.10.
Which versions of Nix are affected by CVE-2024-51481?
CVE-2024-51481 affects Nix versions up to 2.18.9 and versions between 2.19.0 and 2.19.7, 2.20.0 and 2.20.9, 2.21.0 and 2.21.5, 2.22.0 and 2.22.4, 2.23.0 and 2.23.4, and 2.24.0 and 2.24.10.
Can CVE-2024-51481 affect my data?
Yes, CVE-2024-51481 can potentially allow attackers to read sensitive data from the macOS environment.
Is CVE-2024-51481 specific to any operating system?
Yes, CVE-2024-51481 is specifically a vulnerability affecting Nix on macOS.