Summary
Overview
A significant security oversight was identified in Nuclei v3, involving the execution of unsigned code templates through workflows. This vulnerability specifically affects users utilizing custom workflows, potentially allowing the execution of malicious code on the user's system. This advisory outlines the impacted users, provides details on the security patch, and suggests mitigation strategies.
Affected Users
- CLI Users: Those executing custom workflows from untrusted sources. This includes workflows authored by third parties or obtained from unverified repositories.
- SDK Users: Developers integrating Nuclei into their platforms, particularly if they permit the execution of custom workflows by end-users.
Security Patch
The vulnerability is addressed in Nuclei v3.2.0. Users are strongly recommended to update to this version to mitigate the security risk.
Mitigation
- Immediate Upgrade: The primary recommendation is to upgrade to Nuclei v3.2.0, where the vulnerability has been patched.
- Avoid Untrusted Workflows: As an interim measure, users should refrain from using custom workflows if unable to upgrade immediately. Only trusted, verified workflows should be executed.
Details
The vulnerability stems from an oversight in the workflow execution mechanism, where unsigned code templates could be executed, bypassing the security measures intended to authenticate the integrity and source of the templates. This issue is isolated to workflow executions and does not affect direct template executions.
Workarounds
The only effective workaround, aside from upgrading, is to avoid the use of custom workflows altogether. This approach limits functionality but ensures security until the upgrade can be performed.
Acknowledgements
We extend our sincere gratitude to @gpc1996 for their diligence in identifying and reporting this vulnerability.
References
- Security Patch Pull Request: GitHub PR #4822
- Workflows Overview: Nuclei Workflows Documentation
- Code Template Reference: Nuclei Code Protocols Documentation
- Template Signing Reference: Nuclei Template Signing Documentation
Impact
Untrusted input reaches a shell command, allowing arbitrary commands to run on the host. Typical impact: code execution in the application's environment.
CVE-2024-27920 has a CVSS score of 7.4 (High). The vector is requires local access, no privileges required, and user interaction required. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (3.2.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
Remediation advice
Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2024-27920? CVE-2024-27920 is a high-severity OS command injection vulnerability in github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/v3 (go), affecting versions >= 3.0.0, < 3.2.0. It is fixed in 3.2.0. Untrusted input reaches a shell command, allowing arbitrary commands to run on the host.
- How severe is CVE-2024-27920? CVE-2024-27920 has a CVSS score of 7.4 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which versions of github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/v3 are affected by CVE-2024-27920? github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/v3 (go) versions >= 3.0.0, < 3.2.0 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2024-27920? Yes. CVE-2024-27920 is fixed in 3.2.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2024-27920 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2024-27920 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2024-27920 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2024-27920? Upgrade
github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/v3to 3.2.0 or later.