CVE-2024-31226 Sunshine's unquoted executable path could lead to hijacked execution flow
Attackers can hijack execution flow by placing malicious files in the root directory if system ACLs are loosened, allowing code execution.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- An administrator
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- A user has to click or open something
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2024-31226?
CVE-2024-31226 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in LizardByte Sunshine, published on 16 May 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Official description
Sunshine is a self-hosted game stream host for Moonlight. Users who ran Sunshine versions 0.17.0 through 0.22.2 as a service on Windows may be impacted when terminating the service if an attacked placed a file named `C:\Program.exe`, `C:\Program.bat`, or `C:\Program.cmd` on the user's computer. This attack vector isn't exploitable unless the user has manually loosened ACLs on the system drive. If the user's system locale is not English, then the name of the executable will likely vary. Version 0.23.0 contains a patch for the issue. Some workarounds are available. One may identify and block potentially malicious software executed path interception by using application control tools, like Windows Defender Application Control, AppLocker, or Software Restriction Policies where appropriate. Alternatively, ensure that proper permissions and directory access control are set to deny users the ability to write files to the top-level directory `C:`. Require that all executables be placed in write-protected directories.
Weakness: CWE-428
Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-31226?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Lizardbyte Sunshine.
How do I fix CVE-2024-31226?
No fix has been published for CVE-2024-31226 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Upgrade, and resolve every user-supplied path against an allowed base folder before opening it. More about Path traversal.
Is CVE-2024-31226 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-31226 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in LizardByte Sunshine
- CVE-2026-32253 Sunshine: Authentication bypass via improper client certificate validation
- CVE-2025-53095 Sunshine application-wide CSRF in the UI leads to command injection as Administrator
- CVE-2025-10198 LizardBytes Sunshine for Windows contains a DLL search-order hijacking vulnerability
- CVE-2025-10199 A local privilege escalation vulnerability exists in LizardBytes' Sunshine for Windows
- CVE-2024-51738 Sunshine improperly enforces pairing protocol request order