CRITICAL CVSS 9.0
Published: 2026-04-08

CVE-2026-39860

nixos nix Security Advisory (CVE-2026-39860)
↗ Official NIST NVD Record
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CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2026-39860 impacting nixos nix. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 9.0 (CRITICAL).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
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.

📊 CVSS v3.1 Metric Breakdown

Attack Vector
Local (AV:L)
Requires local system execution permissions
Attack Complexity
Low (AC:L)
No specialized conditions required
Privileges Required
None (PR:N)
Unauthenticated execution
User Interaction
None (UI:N)
Zero human interaction required
Scope
Changed (S:C)
Impacts components beyond caller authority
Confidentiality
High (C:H)
Total information disclosure
Integrity
High (I:H)
Total modification of target system
Availability
None (A:N)
No system availability impact

🎯 Affected Versions Matrix

Affected Product nixos / nix
Affected Versions *
Weakness Enumeration CWE-61

Security Research Arsenal: Nuclei Detection Template & PoC Exploit Probe

High-Intent Research Tool

Ready-to-use security scanner signatures, active verification probe skeletons, and remediation playbooks for CVE-2026-39860 impacting nixos nix.

⚡ Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2026-39860.yaml
id: cve-2026-39860

info:
  name: nixos nix - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: critical
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2026-39860 affecting nixos nix.
    Evaluation: 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 t...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2026-39860
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
    cvss-score: 9.0
    cve-id: CVE-2026-39860
    cwe-id: CWE-61
  tags: cve,cve-2026-39860,nixos,nix,critical

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "nix"
        part: body
🐍 PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2026-39860.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2026-39860
# Target: nixos nix | CVSS: 9.0 (CRITICAL)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2026-39860 (nixos nix)...")
    headers = {
        "User-Agent": "CyberVault-Audit-Scanner/2.0",
        "Accept": "*/*"
    }
    try:
        r = requests.get(f"{target_url.rstrip('/')}/", headers=headers, timeout=8, verify=False)
        print(f"[+] Server Response: HTTP {r.status_code} | Server Banner: {r.headers.get('Server', 'Unknown')}")
        if r.status_code < 500:
            print(f"[!] Target reachable. Verify version against nixos nix scope (*).")
        return True
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"[-] Connection Error: {e}")
        return False

if __name__ == '__main__':
    url = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else "http://localhost:8080"
    verify_vulnerability(url)
🛡️ Quick Patch & Remediation Script (Bash) patch_cve-2026-39860.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2026-39860
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install nix 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade nix 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update nix

# 2. Inspect installed package versions for vulnerable scope:
dpkg -l | grep -i nix 2>/dev/null || rpm -qa | grep -i nix

# 3. Docker container & image vulnerability scan:
docker scan $(docker ps -q) 2>/dev/null || echo "Verify upstream base images in Dockerfile."

🛡️ Remediation & Security Action

  • Authoritative Guidance: Follow distribution-specific vendor security notices. Advisory status and package patches vary by distribution release.
  • Verification: Inspect installed binary packages and package manager versions for affected component releases.
  • Upstream Status: Upgrade to verified non-backdoored upstream versions or roll back to known-clean stable releases.
⚠️ Disclaimer: Follow vendor-specific advisories for your operating system. CyberVault does not fabricate unsupported remediation scripts.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Remediation Guide

How do I fix CVE-2026-39860 in nixos nix?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update nixos nix packages to the latest patched release immediately. If immediate upgrading is restricted by change windows, isolate affected network ports and enforce least-privilege access boundaries.

Is there an active exploit or public PoC for CVE-2026-39860?

No weaponized public exploit has been confirmed in public threat streams yet. Continuous surveillance is active across GitHub and security feeds.

What is the CVSS 3.1 severity rating and impact for CVE-2026-39860?

CVE-2026-39860 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 9.0 (CRITICAL). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
9.0
CRITICAL SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2026-39860
Weakness CWE-61
Vendor nixos
Product nix
Published 2026-04-08
Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N