CVE-2026-39860
Nix sandbox escape: file write via symlink at FOD `.tmp` copy destination
Nix is a package manager for Linux and other Unix systems. A bug in the fix for CVE-2024-27297 allowed for arbitrary overwrites of files writable by the Nix process orchestrating the builds (typically the Nix daemon running as root in multi-user installations) by following symlinks during fixed-output derivation output registration. This affects sandboxed Linux builds - sandboxed macOS builds are unaffected. The location of the temporary output used for the output copy was located inside the build chroot. A symlink, pointing to an arbitrary location in the filesystem, could be created by the derivation builder at that path. During output registration, the Nix process (running in the host mount namespace) would follow that symlink and overwrite the destination with the derivation's output contents. In multi-user installations, this allows all users able to submit builds to the Nix daemon (allowed-users - defaulting to all users) to gain root privileges by modifying sensitive files. This vulnerability is fixed in 2.34.5, 2.33.4, 2.32.7, 2.31.4, 2.30.4, 2.29.3, and 2.28.6.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- None
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
9.0
Nix sandbox escape: file write via symlink at FOD `.tmp` copy destination
Nix is a package manager for Linux and other Unix systems. A bug in the fix for CVE-2024-27297 allowed for arbitrary overwrites of files writable by the Nix process orchestrating the builds (typically the Nix daemon running as root in multi-user installations) by following symlinks during fixed-output derivation output registration. This affects sandboxed Linux builds - sandboxed macOS builds are unaffected. The location of the temporary output used for the output copy was located inside the build chroot. A symlink, pointing to an arbitrary location in the filesystem, could be created by the derivation builder at that path. During output registration, the Nix process (running in the host mount namespace) would follow that symlink and overwrite the destination with the derivation's output contents. In multi-user installations, this allows all users able to submit builds to the Nix daemon (allowed-users - defaulting to all users) to gain root privileges by modifying sensitive files. This vulnerability is fixed in 2.34.5, 2.33.4, 2.32.7, 2.31.4, 2.30.4, 2.29.3, and 2.28.6.
- Record
CVE-2026-39860- CVSS 3.1
- 9.0 Critical
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-61
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2026-20626
9.0
Nix is a package manager for Linux and other Unix systems. A bug in the fix for CVE-2024-27297 allowed for arbitrary overwrites of files writable by the Nix process orchestrating the builds (typically the Nix daemon running as root in multi-user installations) by following symlinks during fixed-output derivation output registration. This affects sandboxed Linux builds - sandboxed macOS builds are unaffected. The location of the temporary output used for the output copy was located inside the build chroot. A symlink, pointing to an arbitrary location in the filesystem, could be created by the derivation builder at that path. During output registration, the Nix process (running in the host mount namespace) would follow that symlink and overwrite the destination with the derivation's output contents. In multi-user installations, this allows all users able to submit builds to the Nix daemon (allowed-users - defaulting to all users) to gain root privileges by modifying sensitive files. This vulnerability is fixed in 2.34.5, 2.33.4, 2.32.7, 2.31.4, 2.30.4, 2.29.3, and 2.28.6.
- Record
EUVD-2026-20626- CVSS 3.1
- 9.0 Critical
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
9.0
Nix is a package manager for Linux and other Unix systems. A bug in the fix for CVE-2024-27297 allowed for arbitrary overwrites of files writable by the Nix process orchestrating the builds (typically the Nix daemon running as root in multi-user installations) by following symlinks during fixed-output derivation output registration. This affects sandboxed Linux builds - sandboxed macOS builds are unaffected. The location of the temporary output used for the output copy was located inside the build chroot. A symlink, pointing to an arbitrary location in the filesystem, could be created by the derivation builder at that path. During output registration, the Nix process (running in the host mount namespace) would follow that symlink and overwrite the destination with the derivation's output contents. In multi-user installations, this allows all users able to submit builds to the Nix daemon (allowed-users - defaulting to all users) to gain root privileges by modifying sensitive files. This vulnerability is fixed in 2.34.5, 2.33.4, 2.32.7, 2.31.4, 2.30.4, 2.29.3, and 2.28.6.
- Record
CVE-2026-39860- CVSS 3.1
- 9.0 Critical
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N - CVSS 3.1
- 8.4 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-61
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
9.0
Nix sandbox escape: file write via symlink at FOD `.tmp` copy destination
Nix is a package manager for Linux and other Unix systems. A bug in the fix for CVE-2024-27297 allowed for arbitrary overwrites of files writable by the Nix process orchestrating the builds (typically the Nix daemon running as root in multi-user installations) by following symlinks during fixed-output derivation output registration. This affects sandboxed Linux builds - sandboxed macOS builds are unaffected. The location of the temporary output used for the output copy was located inside the build chroot. A symlink, pointing to an arbitrary location in the filesystem, could be created by the derivation builder at that path. During output registration, the Nix process (running in the host mount namespace) would follow that symlink and overwrite the destination with the derivation's output contents. In multi-user installations, this allows all users able to submit builds to the Nix daemon (allowed-users - defaulting to all users) to gain root privileges by modifying sensitive files. This vulnerability is fixed in 2.34.5, 2.33.4, 2.32.7, 2.31.4, 2.30.4, 2.29.3, and 2.28.6.
- Record
CVE-2026-39860- CVSS 3.1
- 9.0 Critical
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-61
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2026-39860
8.4
Nix is a package manager for Linux and other Unix systems. A bug in the fix for CVE-2024-27297 allowed for arbitrary overwrites of files writable by the Nix process orchestrating the builds (typically the Nix daemon running as root in multi-user installations) by following symlinks during fixed-output derivation output registration. This affects sandboxed Linux builds - sandboxed macOS builds are unaffected. The location of the temporary output used for the output copy was located inside the build chroot. A symlink, pointing to an arbitrary location in the filesystem, could be created by the derivation builder at that path. During output registration, the Nix process (running in the host mount namespace) would follow that symlink and overwrite the destination with the derivation's output contents. In multi-user installations, this allows all users able to submit builds to the Nix daemon (allowed-users - defaulting to all users) to gain root privileges by modifying sensitive files. This vulnerability is fixed in 2.34.5, 2.33.4, 2.32.7, 2.31.4, 2.30.4, 2.29.3, and 2.28.6.
- Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2026-39860- CVSS 3.1
- 8.4 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2026-39860
9.0
Nix is a package manager for Linux and other Unix systems. A bug in the fix for CVE-2024-27297 allowed for arbitrary overwrites of files writable by the Nix process orchestrating the builds (typically the Nix daemon running as root in multi-user installations) by following symlinks during fixed-output derivation output registration. This affects sandboxed Linux builds - sandboxed macOS builds are unaffected. The location of the temporary output used for the output copy was located inside the build chroot. A symlink, pointing to an arbitrary location in the filesystem, could be created by the derivation builder at that path. During output registration, the Nix process (running in the host mount namespace) would follow that symlink and overwrite the destination with the derivation's output contents. In multi-user installations, this allows all users able to submit builds to the Nix daemon (allowed-users - defaulting to all users) to gain root privileges by modifying sensitive files. This vulnerability is fixed in 2.34.5, 2.33.4, 2.32.7, 2.31.4, 2.30.4, 2.29.3, and 2.28.6.
- Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2026-39860- CVSS 3.1
- 9.0 Critical
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N - CVSS 3.1
- 8.4 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
nixDebian:13 |
All versions, plus listed versions 2.26.3+dfsg-12.32.5+dfsg-12.32.5+dfsg-22.34.3+dfsg-12.34.6+dfsg-12.34.8+dfsg-1 |
None known |
nixDebian:14 |
before 2.34.6+dfsg-1, plus listed versions 2.26.3+dfsg-12.32.5+dfsg-12.32.5+dfsg-22.34.3+dfsg-1 |
2.34.6+dfsg-1 |
nixUbuntu:Pro:22.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 2.3.10+dfsg1-12.3.10+dfsg1-1build12.6.0+dfsg-22.6.0+dfsg-32.6.0+dfsg-3ubuntu0.1~esm1 |
None known |
nixUbuntu:Pro:24.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 2.16.1+dfsg-3ubuntu12.18.1+dfsg-1ubuntu12.18.1+dfsg-1ubuntu22.18.1+dfsg-1ubuntu42.18.1+dfsg-1ubuntu52.18.1+dfsg-1ubuntu5+esm2 |
None known |
nixUbuntu:25.10 |
All versions, plus listed versions 2.24.9+dfsg-2ubuntu22.26.3+dfsg-1ubuntu12.26.3+dfsg-1ubuntu22.26.3+dfsg-1ubuntu4 |
None known |
nixUbuntu:26.10 |
All versions, plus listed versions 2.34.3+dfsg-12.34.6+dfsg-12.34.6+dfsg-1build12.34.8+dfsg-12.34.8+dfsg-1build1 |
None known |
nixUbuntu:26.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 2.26.3+dfsg-1ubuntu42.26.3+dfsg-1ubuntu52.32.5+dfsg-1ubuntu32.32.5+dfsg-2ubuntu12.34.3+dfsg-1 |
None known |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| first indexed | CVE List, EUVD, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2026-39860 is a critical vulnerability (CVSS 9.0) in Nixos Nix, published April 8, 2026. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.19%, the 9th percentile. Fixed in nix 2.34.6+dfsg-1.
References
github.com/NixOS/nix/security/advisories/GHSA-g3g9-5vj6-r3gj
github.com/NixOS/nix/pull/10178
github.com/NixOS/nix/commit/244f3eee0bbc7f11e9b383a15ed7368e2c4becc9
github.com/NixOS/nix/commit/4bc5a3510fa3735798f9ed3a2a30a3ea7b32343a
github.com/NixOS/nix/commit/7794354a982449927ee7401cdeb573ddd16c4688
github.com/NixOS/nix/commit/a3163b9eabb952b4aa96e376dea95ebcca97b31a