# CVE-2024-45593: Nix affected by unsafe NAR unpacking

> A malicious NAR archive can cause Nix to write files to arbitrary locations, potentially leading to code execution or privilege escalation when running as root.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 10 Sep 2024
- **Updated:** 10 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** CVE-2024-45845, GHSA-h4vv-h3jq-v493, UBUNTU-CVE-2024-45593

## What is CVE-2024-45593?

CVE-2024-45593 is a critical path traversal vulnerability in NixOS nix, published on 10 Sep 2024. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Nix is a package manager for Linux and other Unix systems. A bug in Nix 2.24 prior to 2.24.6 allows a substituter or malicious user to craft a NAR that, when unpacked by Nix, causes Nix to write to arbitrary file system locations to which the Nix process has access. This will be with root permissions when using the Nix daemon. This issue is fixed in Nix 2.24.6.

Weakness: CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-45593?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Nixos Nix.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-45593?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2024-45593 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-45593 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in NixOS nix

- [CVE-2026-39860](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-39860/): Nix sandbox escape: file write via symlink at FOD `.tmp` copy destination (critical 9.0)
- [CVE-2019-17365](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-17365/): Misconfiguration in n/a (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2024-27297](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-27297/): Nix Corruption of fixed-output derivations (medium 6.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2024-45593 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-45593 is a critical path traversal vulnerability in NixOS nix, published on 10 Sep 2024. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-45593 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: NixOS nix. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-45593/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-45593/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-45593
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-45593
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-45593

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-45593/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.