Path Hijacking in OpenTelemetry-Go Enables Local Code Execution

Publication date: 2026-02-02

Last updated on: 2026-06-15

Assigner: GitHub, Inc.

Description

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.

CVSS Scores

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Meta Information

Published

2026-02-02

Last Modified

2026-06-15

Generated

2026-07-06

AI Q&A

2026-02-03

EPSS Evaluated

2026-07-05

NVD

CVE-2026-24051

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
opentelemetry	opentelemetry	From 1.21.0 (inc) to 1.40.0 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-426	The product searches for critical resources using an externally-supplied search path that can point to resources that are not under the product's direct control.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability affects the OpenTelemetry Go SDK versions v1.20.0 to v1.39.0 on macOS/Darwin systems. The issue is a Path Hijacking (Untrusted Search Paths) vulnerability in the resource detection code, which executes the ioreg system command using a search path. If an attacker can locally modify the PATH environment variable, they can cause the application to execute arbitrary code within its context.

Impact Analysis

An attacker with local access who can modify the PATH environment variable can exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code within the context of the affected application. This can lead to unauthorized actions, data compromise, or system control depending on the application's privileges.

Mitigation Strategies

Upgrade the OpenTelemetry Go SDK to version v1.40.0 or later, as this version contains the fix for the Path Hijacking vulnerability. Additionally, restrict or control the ability of local users to modify the PATH environment variable to prevent exploitation.

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