CVE-2024-38531 | Nix sandbox escape

Nix is a package manager for Linux and other Unix systems that makes package management reliable and reproducible. A build process has access to and can change the permissions of the build directory. After creating a setuid binary in a globally accessible location, a malicious local user can assume the permissions of a Nix daemon worker and hijack all future builds. This issue was patched in version(s) 2.23.1, 2.22.2, 2.21.3, 2.20.7, 2.19.5 and 2.18.4.

Published: 2024-06-28 Last update: 2026-04-15 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Deferred，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2024-38531 is rated Low Risk (15.9/100): CVSS Low severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.14%). Low composite risk—no urgent action required; patch on your normal maintenance cycle and revisit priority if CVSS or EPSS increases.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2024-38531

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 0.02% 0.14% +0.12%
2 2025-08-06 0.05% 0.02% -0.03%
3 2025-08-05 — 0.05% —

Full EPSS history (4 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2024-38531

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
3.6 3.1 LOW
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:L)
Attackers could change some data, but it’s limited—not everything goes.
Availability (A:L)
Might cause slowdowns, glitches, or partial disruption—not a full brick.
 1.0 2.5 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2024-38531

OS Trackers for CVE-2024-38531

vendor priority summary link
alpine low CVE-2024-38531: 1 source package rows (nix); 3 state rows across 3 repos (3.20-community, 3.22-community, edge-community); fixed 0, open 3. https://security.alpinelinux.org/vuln/CVE-2024-38531
debian not yet assigned CVE-2024-38531 not yet assigned priority: Debian including 1 source packages (nix), 5 status rows across 5 suites (bookworm, bullseye, forky, sid, trixie): resolved 3, open 2. https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2024-38531
ubuntu medium CVE-2024-38531 medium priority: Ubuntu including 1 source packages (nix), 8 status rows across 8 suites (focal, jammy, mantic, noble, oracular, plucky, questing, upstream): released 3, ignored 2, not-affected 2, DNE 1. https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2024-38531

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2024-38531

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
No affected products in dataset.

References for CVE-2024-38531

cvelogic Threat Intelligence