OpenTelemetry-Go Affected by Arbitrary Code Execution via PATH Hijacking
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- High
- Impact type
- Code execution
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 5 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA, GitHub and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-426.
Summary
OpenTelemetry-Go is the Go implementation of OpenTelemetry. The OpenTelemetry Go SDK in version v1.20.0-1.39.0 is vulnerable to Path Hijacking (Untrusted Search Paths) on macOS/Darwin systems. The resource detection code in sdk/resource/host_id.go executes the ioreg system command using a search path. An attacker with the ability to locally modify the PATH environment variable can achieve Arbitrary Code Execution (ACE) within the context of the application. A fix was released with v1.40.0.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Total
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| open-telemetry | opentelemetry-go | 1.21.0 to before 1.40.0 | 1.40.0 | Patch available | CNA |
| — | go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk (Go) | 1.21.0 to before 1.40.0 | 1.40.0 | Patch available | GHSA-9h8m-3fm2-qjrq |
- opentelemetry-go Vendoropen-telemetry Affected 1.21.0 to before 1.40.0 Fixed in 1.40.0 Patch available CNA
- go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk (Go) Vendor— Affected 1.21.0 to before 1.40.0 Fixed in 1.40.0 Patch available GHSA-9h8m-3fm2-qjrq
CPE configurations NVD · 2
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:opentelemetry:opentelemetry:*:*:*:*:*:go:*:* | 1.21.0 to before 1.40.0 | Vulnerable | open-telemetry |
| cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | not specified by NVD | Running on | Apple |
- cpe:2.3:a:opentelemetry:opentelemetry:*:*:*:*:*:go:*:* Versions 1.21.0 to before 1.40.0 Vulnerable ·open-telemetry
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions not specified by NVD Running on ·Apple
Remediation
- Fix · CNA opentelemetry-go (open-telemetry) Fixed in 1.40.0
- Fix · GHSA-9h8m-3fm2-qjrq go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk (Go) Fixed in 1.40.0 Advisory →
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Low. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Fence Agents Remediation Operator | Affected | No fix yet |
| Multicluster Engine for Kubernetes | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes 2 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat OpenShift AI (RHOAI) | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Storage-Based Remediation | Affected | No fix yet |
Not affected: 1 product
- Multicluster Engine for Kubernetes
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-24051
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-9h8m-3fm2-qjrq
- 2026-10-29 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-11-07 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
Patch 2
More open-telemetry Opentelemetry vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-23298 OpenTelemetry-Go multi-value `baggage` header extraction causes excessive allocations (remote dos amplification) CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2023-25448 DoS vulnerability in otelgrpc (uncontrolled resource consumption) due to unbound cardinality metrics CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2026-29801 OpenTelemetry-Go's baggage parsing no longer caps raw header length CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 5.3
- TI-2026-32829 opentelemetry-cpp: OTLP HTTP exporters read unbounded HTTP response CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 5.3
- TI-2023-23498 opentelemetry-instrumentation Denial of Service vulnerability due to unbound cardinality metrics CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2023-24163 OpenTelemetry-Go Contrib has DoS vulnerability in otelhttp due to unbound cardinality metrics CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
Sources
- CVE-2026-24051 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-24051 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-9h8m-3fm2-qjrq · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-24051 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences