CVE-2024-39835
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedA code injection vulnerability has been identified in the Robot Operating System (ROS) 'roslaunch' command-line tool, affecting ROS distributions Noetic Ninjemys and earlier. The vulnerability arises from the use of the eval() method to process user-supplied, unsanitized parameter values within the substitution args mechanism, which roslaunch evaluates before launching a node. This flaw allows attackers to craft and execute arbitrary Python code.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceThe roslaunch tool in ROS Noetic uses eval() to process substitution arguments from parameter values, allowing attackers to inject arbitrary Python code through crafted parameter values that get evaluated before node launch.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= indigo_igloo= kinetic_kame= melodic_morenia= noetic_ninjemysCVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed ROS distributionRun 'rosversion -d' or check /opt/ros/<distro>/setup.bash to determine which ROS distribution is installedAffected if The output is one of: indigo_igloo, kinetic_kame, melodic_morenia, or noetic_ninjemys
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Locate roslaunch package installationRun 'rospack find roslaunch' or check for roslaunch in /opt/ros/<distro>/lib/python3*/site-packages/roslaunch/Affected if The roslaunch package exists in an affected ROS distribution directory
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Inspect roslaunch substitution args source codeExamine the roslaunch substitution.py or similar file that handles substitution arguments - search for eval() calls processing parameter valuesAffected if Code contains eval() being used to evaluate substitution arguments from parameter values
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Review launch files for parameter substitution usageFind .launch files in your workspace and inspect them for $(arg ...) or $(param ...) syntax, especially where parameters load from external YAML files or remapped topicsAffected if Launch files use parameter substitution where values could originate from untrusted sources
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Check for unsafe parameter value sourcesInspect launch files and launch scripts for parameters loaded from network topics, files with world-writeable permissions, or ROS parameters set by other nodesAffected if Parameters are populated from sources controllable by untrusted users or network inputs
You are affected if you run any of the four listed ROS distributions and use roslaunch with parameter values that could be crafted by an attacker to inject Python code through the eval()-based substitution mechanism.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataReplace unsafe eval() calls in the roslaunch substitution args mechanism with secure parsing (e.g., ast.literal_eval or custom safe expression evaluator) and implement input validation for parameter values.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-39835 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-39835 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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