CVE-2026-39883 opentelemetry-go: BSD kenv command not using absolute path enables PATH hijacking
Attackers can execute arbitrary code on BSD and Solaris systems by hijacking the PATH to exploit a relative path reference in the kenv command.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-39883?
CVE-2026-39883 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in open-telemetry opentelemetry-go, published on 8 Apr 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
OpenTelemetry-Go is the Go implementation of OpenTelemetry. From 1.15.0 to 1.42.0, the fix for CVE-2026-24051 changed the Darwin ioreg command to use an absolute path but left the BSD kenv command using a bare name, allowing the same PATH hijacking attack on BSD and Solaris platforms. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.43.0.
Weakness: CWE-426
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-39883?
3 open source packages ship an affected version, including go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk. It affects 1 product.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk Go | From 1.15.0 | 1.43.0 |
go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk Go | From 1.15.0 | 1.43.0 |
go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk Go | From 1.15.0 | 1.43.0 |
Linux distribution packages (1)
clusterctl openSUSE:Tumbleweed | All versions | 1.14.0-1.1 |
Products include Opentelemetry Opentelemetry.
How do I fix CVE-2026-39883?
Upgrade go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk to 1.43.0 or later.
Upgrade, and pass arguments to programs as a list instead of through a shell. More about Command injection.
Is CVE-2026-39883 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-39883 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in open-telemetry opentelemetry-go
- CVE-2026-29181 OpenTelemetry-Go multi-value `baggage` header extraction causes excessive allocations (remote dos amplification)
- CVE-2023-47108 DoS vulnerability in otelgrpc (uncontrolled resource consumption) due to unbound cardinality metrics
- CVE-2023-45142 OpenTelemetry-Go Contrib has DoS vulnerability in otelhttp due to unbound cardinality metrics
- CVE-2023-43810 opentelemetry-instrumentation Denial of Service vulnerability due to unbound cardinality metrics
- CVE-2026-24051 OpenTelemetry-Go Affected by Arbitrary Code Execution via PATH Hijacking
Sources
Also known as CLEANSTART-2026-DU50032, CLEANSTART-2026-EY57242, CLEANSTART-2026-FH97534, CLEANSTART-2026-HI18999, CLEANSTART-2026-HL09755, CLEANSTART-2026-HT24978 and 796 more.