# CVE-2025-46416: Privilege escalation in Nix

> Attackers can bypass build isolation to elevate privileges to the build user account in Nix, Lix, and Guix package managers.

- **Severity:** Low 2.9 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 27 Jun 2025
- **Updated:** 27 Jun 2025
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2025-46416, GHSA-33x6-8x8r-9jpw, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-46416

## What is CVE-2025-46416?

CVE-2025-46416 is a low-severity vulnerability in NixOS Nix, published on 27 Jun 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The Nix, Lix, and Guix package managers allow a bypass of build isolation in which a user can elevate their privileges to the build user account (e.g., nixbld or guixbuild). This affects Nix through 2.24.15, 2.26.4, 2.28.4, and 2.29.1; Lix through 2.91.2, 2.92.2, and 2.93.1; and Guix before 1.4.0-38.0e79d5b.

Weakness: CWE-282 (Improper Ownership Management)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-46416?


## How do I fix CVE-2025-46416?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-46416 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-46416 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-46416 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-46416 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-46416 is a low-severity vulnerability in NixOS Nix, published on 27 Jun 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-46416 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-2025-46416/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-46416/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-46416
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-46416
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-46416

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-46416/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.