Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain local access as the installing/store-owning user
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ExploitModify user-owned /nix/store binary or path
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ImpactCode executes with root privileges on next invocation
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Incorrect ownership assignment
|
| Exploitation Conditions | Applies only to systems installed via the Nix multi-user installer in versions before 2.35.3, where the installer wrongly set /nix/store ownership to the invoking user instead of root. Exploitation requires local access to the account that owns the store (or any account with write access to the mis-owned store paths); there is no remote or network-reachable path despite the input vector listing PR:N. Limiting factors: the vector is local (AV:L), the host must have been provisioned with the affected multi-user installer rather than re-owned or single-user, and the attacker must already hold a local account on the machine. Single-admin workstations where the installing user is already the privileged operator see little practical privilege boundary crossed. |
| Impact | The provided CVSS 3.1 base score is 4.0 (Medium) with vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N - a local attack vector, low complexity, and integrity-only impact. There is a notable internal conflict: the vector states PR:N (no privileges), yet the flaw concerns ownership of /nix/store being assigned to a local user account, which inherently implies the attacker is a local user - verify authentication assumptions with the vendor, as PR:L is more defensible than PR:N here. No EPSS score was provided in the input, so exploitation-probability cannot be quantified; this is a data gap, not a low-risk signal. The CVE is not listed in CISA KEV and no POC/exploit code is referenced, so exploitation status is 'no public exploit identified at time of analysis.' Functionally this is a local privilege-escalation primitive (incorrect ownership, CWE-708): store paths that should be root-owned are writable by a non-root user, so the vendor's I:L/C:N/A:N scoring is arguably conservative given that tampering with store binaries later executed by root can yield fuller compromise. Net: this is not an internet-facing, mass-exploitable emergency - the local-only vector and absence of KEV/POC/EPSS keep real-world urgency moderate - but it warrants prompt patching on any multi-user Nix host installed with the affected installer because of the latent privilege-escalation potential. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | On a multi-user Nix/NixOS host installed with the vulnerable installer (Nix before 2.35.3), /nix/store contents are owned by the user who ran the installer rather than root. That local user can modify or replace a store path; when root or another user later executes the tampered binary, the attacker's code runs with elevated privileges. No public exploit code is referenced, and exploitation requires local access to the affected account. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 14, 2026
Local privilege escalation in Nix before 2.35.3 allows a local attacker with access to the user account that installed the multi-user Nix store to gain root privileges by tampering with /nix/store contents, because the installer incorrectly assigned ownership of the store to the invoking user instead of root. The independent assessment rates this as High severity (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H), noting that exploitation requires local access to the affected account and that the host must have been provisioned with the vulnerable multi-user installer. No public exploit code is known at this time; a security advisory is available.
RemediationAI
Upgrade Nix to version 2.35.3 or later, which fixes the ownership assignment in the multi-user installer. The advisory at https://discourse.nixos.org/t/security-advisory-for-nix-and-lix-october-2026/80547 provides details. If immediate upgrade is not possible, administrators should verify and correct ownership of /nix/store and its contents to root:root (or an appropriate root-owned group), as the mis-ownership is the root cause; however, manual correction may be incomplete for existing store paths and does not prevent future occurrences if the installer is re-run. As a compensating control, restrict local access to the user account that originally installed Nix, since that account can modify store contents; this may not be practical in multi-user environments. Note that simply reinstalling with a corrected installer may also require re-owning existing store paths.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
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Technical ContextAI · show details
Nix is a package manager that stores all packages and build artifacts in the /nix/store directory, which must be owned by root to prevent non-privileged users from modifying store contents. The multi-user installer is designed to set up Nix with a daemon and multiple user profiles, and it is expected to assign root ownership to the store. CWE-708 (Incorrect Ownership Assignment) is the root cause: the installer erroneously sets the ownership of store contents to the user who invoked the installer. This undermines the integrity boundary between the installing user and the system, allowing that user (or any account with write access to the mis-owned paths) to replace or alter store paths. Because the store is used by all users and sometimes by root processes, malicious modifications can lead to arbitrary code execution with elevated privileges. The CPE cpe:2.3:a:nixos:nix:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* indicates that all versions prior to 2.35.3 are potentially affected when installed with the multi-user installer.
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
Requires a local account owning the mis-owned store (PR:L, AV:L); tampering with root-executed store binaries escalates beyond the user's authority, giving S:C and full C/I/A impact.
Primary rating from Vendor (mitre).
CVSS VectorVendor: mitre
Lifecycle Timeline
1DescriptionCVE.org
The multi-user installer in Nix before 2.35.3 sets the ownership of store contents to the user (who invoked the installer) even though it should be root ownership.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.
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EUVD-2026-100808
GHSA-ggvw-xgw8-9cc9
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB