Description
Nix is a package manager for Linux and other Unix systems that makes package management reliable and reproducible. A build process has access to and can change the permissions of the build directory. After creating a setuid binary in a globally accessible location, a malicious local user can assume the permissions of a Nix daemon worker and hijack all future builds. This issue was patched in version(s) 2.23.1, 2.22.2, 2.21.3, 2.20.7, 2.19.5 and 2.18.4.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| NixOS | nix | >= 2.23.0, < 2.23.1, >= 2.22.0, < 2.22.2, >= 2.21.0, < 2.21.3, >= 2.20.0, < 2.20.7, >= 2.19.0, < 2.19.5, >= 2.18.0, < 2.18.4 | — |
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | nix | 2.23.3+dfsg-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | nix | 2.23.3+dfsg-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | nix | No fix yet | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 24.04 LTS | nix | 2.18.1+dfsg-1ubuntu5+esm2 | USN-7633-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro 22.04 LTS | nix | 2.6.0+dfsg-3ubuntu0.1~esm1 | USN-7633-1 |
Advisories 1
- USN-7633-1 nix vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Apr 27, 2026