CVE-2022-35978
Lua sandbox escape from mod in Minetest
Minetest is a free open-source voxel game engine with easy modding and game creation. In single player, a mod can set a global setting that controls the Lua script loaded to display the main menu. The script is then loaded as soon as the game session is exited. The Lua environment the menu runs in is not sandboxed and can directly interfere with the user's system. There are currently no known workarounds.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- High
- Privileges needed
- Low
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- Low
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
7.7
Lua sandbox escape from mod in Minetest
Minetest is a free open-source voxel game engine with easy modding and game creation. In single player, a mod can set a global setting that controls the Lua script loaded to display the main menu. The script is then loaded as soon as the game session is exited. The Lua environment the menu runs in is not sandboxed and can directly interfere with the user's system. There are currently no known workarounds.
- Record
CVE-2022-35978- CVSS 3.1
- 7.7 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:H/A:L - Weakness
- CWE-693
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2022-38805
7.7
Minetest is a free open-source voxel game engine with easy modding and game creation. In single player, a mod can set a global setting that controls the Lua script loaded to display the main menu. The script is then loaded as soon as the game session is exited. The Lua environment the menu runs in is not sandboxed and can directly interfere with the user's system. There are currently no known workarounds.
- Record
EUVD-2022-38805- CVSS 3.1
- 7.7 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:H/A:L - Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
7.7
Minetest is a free open-source voxel game engine with easy modding and game creation. In single player, a mod can set a global setting that controls the Lua script loaded to display the main menu. The script is then loaded as soon as the game session is exited. The Lua environment the menu runs in is not sandboxed and can directly interfere with the user's system. There are currently no known workarounds.
- Record
CVE-2022-35978- CVSS 3.1
- 7.7 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:H/A:L - CVSS 3.1
- 10.0 Critical
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-693
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
7.7
Lua sandbox escape from mod in Minetest
Minetest is a free open-source voxel game engine with easy modding and game creation. In single player, a mod can set a global setting that controls the Lua script loaded to display the main menu. The script is then loaded as soon as the game session is exited. The Lua environment the menu runs in is not sandboxed and can directly interfere with the user's system. There are currently no known workarounds.
- Record
CVE-2022-35978- CVSS 3.1
- 7.7 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:H/A:L - Weakness
- CWE-693
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2022-35978
7.7
Minetest is a free open-source voxel game engine with easy modding and game creation. In single player, a mod can set a global setting that controls the Lua script loaded to display the main menu. The script is then loaded as soon as the game session is exited. The Lua environment the menu runs in is not sandboxed and can directly interfere with the user's system. There are currently no known workarounds.
- Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2022-35978- CVSS 3.1
- 7.7 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:H/A:L - CVSS 3.1
- 10.0 Critical
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-06
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2022-35978 No score
Minetest is a free open-source voxel game engine with easy modding and game creation. In single player, a mod can set a global setting that controls the Lua script loaded to display the main menu. The script is then loaded as soon as the game session is exited. The Lua environment the menu runs in is not sandboxed and can directly interfere with the user's system. There are currently no known workarounds.
- Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2022-35978- Updated
- 2026-11-03
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OSVMGASA-2023-0005 No score
Updated minetest packages fix security vulnerability
This update provides minetest 5.6.1, the latest stable release of the open source voxel game. This updates provides a number of feature and bug fix changes compared to the previous version 5.4.0 provided in Mageia 8. See the linked release notes and changelogs for details.
The update also improves compatibility with hosted game servers, which typically run and expect the latest stable release.
The update also fixes a security vulnerability affecting single player with malicious mods (GHSA-663q-pcjw-27cc)
In single player, a mod could set a global setting that controls the Lua script loaded to display the main menu. The script would be loaded as soon as the game session is exited. The Lua environment the menu runs in was not sandboxed and could directly interfere with the user's system. (CVE-2022-35978)
- Record
MGASA-2023-0005- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVopenSUSE-SU-2023:0001-1 No score
Security update for minetest
This update for minetest fixes the following issues:
Update to version 5.6.0
- Fix CVE-2022-35978 ( boo#1202423 ): Mod scripts can escape sandbox in single player mode
namein game.conf is deprecated for the game title, usetitleinstead- Add depth sorting for node faces
- Various bug fixes
- Full changes: https://dev.minetest.net/Changelog#5.5.0_.E2.86.92_5.6.0
- Introduced mbranch-protection=none CXX flag to resolve boo#1193141 (aarch64).
Update to version 5.5.0 & 5.5.1:
- Full log for version 5.5.0: https://dev.minetest.net/Changelog#5.4.0_.E2.86.92_5.5.0
- This release switches from Irrlicht to our own fork called IrrlichtMt.
- Full log for version 5.5.1: https://dev.minetest.net/Changelog#5.5.0_.E2.86.92_5.5.1
- This is a maintenance release based on 5.5.0, it contains bugfixes but no new features.
-
Added hardening to systemd service(s) (boo#1181400).
-
Update to version 5.4.1:
- This is a maintenance release based on 5.4.0, it contains bugfixes but no new features.
-
Update to version 5.4.0
- Full log: https://dev.minetest.net/Changelog#5.3.0_.E2.86.92_5.4.0
- Removed support for bumpmapping, generated normal maps and parallax occlusion
- By default, the crosshair will now change to an 'X' when pointing to objects
- Prevent players accessing inventories of other players
- Prevent interacting with items out of the hotbar
- Prevent players from being able to modify ItemStack meta
-
Update to version 5.3.0. (see https://dev.minetest.net/Changelog#5.2.0_.E2.86.92_5.3.0)
- Formspec improvements, including a scrolling GUI element
- Performance improvements to the Server and API
- Many bug fixes and small features
-
Now requires desktop-file-utils version >= 0.25.
- Record
openSUSE-SU-2023:0001-1- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVopenSUSE-SU-2024:12284-1 No score
minetest-5.6.0-1.1 on GA media
These are all security issues fixed in the minetest-5.6.0-1.1 package on the GA media of openSUSE Tumbleweed.
- Record
openSUSE-SU-2024:12284-1- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVopenSUSE-SU-2025:14825-1 No score
luanti-5.11.0-1.1 on GA media
These are all security issues fixed in the luanti-5.11.0-1.1 package on the GA media of openSUSE Tumbleweed.
- Record
openSUSE-SU-2025:14825-1- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
minetestDebian:12 |
before 5.5.0+dfsg+~1.9.0mt4+dfsg-2 | 5.5.0+dfsg+~1.9.0mt4+dfsg-2 |
minetestMageia:8 |
before 5.6.1-1.mga8 | 5.6.1-1.mga8 |
minetestUbuntu:16.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 0.4.12+repack-2ubuntu10.4.13+repack-10.4.13+repack-1build1 |
None known |
minetestUbuntu:18.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 0.4.16+repack-30.4.16+repack-4 |
None known |
minetestUbuntu:Pro:20.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 5.0.1+repack-25.1.0+repack-15.1.1+repack-15.1.1+repack-1build15.1.1+repack-1ubuntu0.1~esm1 |
None known |
minetestUbuntu:Pro:22.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 5.3.0+repack-2.15.4.1+repack-25.4.1+repack-2build15.4.1+repack-2ubuntu0.1~esm1 |
None known |
minetestSUSE:Package Hub 15 SP3 |
before 5.6.0-bp154.2.3.5 | 5.6.0-bp154.2.3.5 |
minetestSUSE:Package Hub 15 SP4 |
before 5.6.0-bp154.2.3.5 | 5.6.0-bp154.2.3.5 |
minetestopenSUSE:Leap 15.3 |
before 5.6.0-bp154.2.3.5 | 5.6.0-bp154.2.3.5 |
minetestopenSUSE:Leap 15.4 |
before 5.6.0-bp154.2.3.5 | 5.6.0-bp154.2.3.5 |
luantiopenSUSE:Tumbleweed |
before 5.11.0-1.1 | 5.11.0-1.1 |
Public exploits
Links only. Every CVE stores no exploit code.
| Source | Link | Date |
|---|---|---|
| PoC in GitHub | CanVo/CVE-2022-35978-POC | 2025-02-27 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| affected, facts | OSV | |
| first indexed | CVE List, EUVD, NVD, OSV, PoC in GitHub |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2022-35978 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.7) in Minetest, published August 15, 2022. Public exploit code exists. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 3.08%, the 87th percentile. Fixed in minetest 5.5.0+dfsg+~1.9.0mt4+dfsg-2.
References
github.com/minetest/minetest/security/advisories/GHSA-663q-pcjw-27cc
github.com/minetest/minetest/commit/da71e86633d0b27cd02d7aac9fdac625d141ca13
dev.minetest.net/Changelog
github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2022/35xxx/CVE-2022-35978.json
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-35978
security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2022-35978
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advisories.mageia.org/MGASA-2023-0005.html
bugs.mageia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=31363
blog.minetest.net/2022/08/04/5.6.0-released
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2022-35978
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-35978
lists.opensuse.org/archives/list/[email protected]/thread/6BEL53A6YRA752TFXGECQDT4XJ7UK6P5
bugzilla.suse.com/1181400
bugzilla.suse.com/1193141
bugzilla.suse.com/1202423
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2022-35978
lists.opensuse.org/archives/list/[email protected]/thread/Z3ZK4G6DNQFIACTL2C265VGZDQPXSRAZ