Summary
OpenTelemetry.Resources.Host vulnerable to arbitrary code execution via local PATH hijacking on macOS
The OpenTelemetry.Resources.Host NuGet package is affected by an untrusted search path vulnerability on macOS. The host.id resource attribute detector launches the sh and ioreg executables by bare name rather than by absolute path, so both are resolved
through the PATH environment variable.
A local attacker who is less privileged than the host application, and who can influence PATH or write to a directory that appears in PATH ahead of the system directories, can have an arbitrary binary executed in the application's security context, resulting in local
code execution/privilege escalation.
Details
The implementation of the host detector macOS has always invoked ioreg and sh via their bare names since it was implemented by open-telemetry/opentelemetry-dotnet-contrib#1631.
The vulnerability was fixed by open-telemetry/opentelemetry-dotnet-contrib#4760 which executes ioreg directly using its absolute path.
Mitigation
This vulnerability only affect macOS hosts - Linux and Windows hosts are unaffected.
Workarounds
None known.
References
Impact
Applications running on macOS that use the OpenTelemetry.Resources.Host detector when an attacker who is less privileged than the application process can influence PATH or write to a PATH directory that precedes the system directories (e.g. a higher-privileged service with a user-writable directory in its search path, or a process inheriting an attacker-influenced environment). The attacker gains code execution in the application's security context through an attacker-controlled ioreg executable.
CVE-2026-81192 has a CVSS score of 7.0 (High). The vector is requires local access, low privileges required, and no user interaction. 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 (1.16.0-beta.2); 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.
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Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2026-81192? CVE-2026-81192 is a high-severity security vulnerability in OpenTelemetry.Resources.Host (nuget), affecting versions < 1.16.0-beta.2. It is fixed in 1.16.0-beta.2.
- How severe is CVE-2026-81192? CVE-2026-81192 has a CVSS score of 7.0 (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 OpenTelemetry.Resources.Host are affected by CVE-2026-81192? OpenTelemetry.Resources.Host (nuget) versions < 1.16.0-beta.2 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-81192? Yes. CVE-2026-81192 is fixed in 1.16.0-beta.2. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2026-81192 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-81192 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-2026-81192 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-2026-81192? Upgrade
OpenTelemetry.Resources.Hostto 1.16.0-beta.2 or later.