Unsanitized NUL in environment variables on Windows in syscall and os/exec
Priority LOW 35Published · Updated
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · High · None
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA.
Summary
Due to unsanitized NUL values, attackers may be able to maliciously set environment variables on Windows. In syscall.StartProcess and os/exec.Cmd, invalid environment variable values containing NUL values are not properly checked for. A malicious environment variable value can exploit this behavior to set a value for a different environment variable. For example, the environment variable string "A=B\x00C=D" sets the variables "A=B" and "C=D".
Why it matters now
Exploitation None reported CISA SSVC · not in CISA KEV
EPSS 0.01027 63rd percentileScored 2026-11-07
Fix Fixed syscall (Go standard library): 1.18.8, 1.19.3os/exec (Go standard library): 1.18.8, 1.19.3
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Go standard library | syscall | before 1.18.8; 1.19.0-0 to before 1.19.3 | 1.18.8, 1.19.3 | Patch available | CNA |
| Go standard library | os/exec | before 1.18.8; 1.19.0-0 to before 1.19.3 | 1.18.8, 1.19.3 | Patch available | CNA |
- syscall VendorGo standard library Affected before 1.18.8; 1.19.0-0 to before 1.19.3 Fixed in 1.18.8, 1.19.3 Patch available CNA
- os/exec VendorGo standard library Affected before 1.18.8; 1.19.0-0 to before 1.19.3 Fixed in 1.18.8, 1.19.3 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 2
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:golang:go:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | before 1.18.8; 1.19.0 to before 1.19.3 | Vulnerable | Go standard library |
| cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | not specified by NVD | Running on | Microsoft |
- cpe:2.3:a:golang:go:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions before 1.18.8; 1.19.0 to before 1.19.3 Vulnerable ·Go standard library
- cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions not specified by NVD Running on ·Microsoft
Remediation
- Fix · CNA syscall (Go standard library) Fixed in 1.18.8, 1.19.3
- Fix · CNA os/exec (Go standard library) Fixed in 1.18.8, 1.19.3
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2022-41716
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-mh68-qf2j-8c5g
References
More Go standard library Go vulnerabilities
- TI-2020-00578 Improper certificate validation in Microsoft Windows KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.1
- TI-2023-23979 The HTTP/2 protocol allows a denial of service (server resource consumption) because… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2018-05208 The "go get" implementation in Go 1.9.4, when the -insecure command-line option is used… CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2018-12083 Improper input validation in [UNKNOWN] golang CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.1
- TI-2024-16306 Mishandling of corrupt central directory record in archive/zip CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 5.5
- TI-2021-15910 Go before 1.16.9 and 1.17.x before 1.17.2 has a Buffer Overflow via large arguments in a… CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
Sources
- CVE-2022-41716 · CVE Program
- CVE-2022-41716 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-mh68-qf2j-8c5g · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences