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OS Command InjectionWeakness · CWE-78

CVE-2024-40641

HIGH · 7.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-07-17
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
77/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

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 · unedited
Nuclei is a fast and customizable vulnerability scanner based on simple YAML based DSL. In affected versions it a way to execute code template without -code option and signature has been discovered. Some web applications inherit from Nuclei and allow users to edit and execute workflow files. In this case, users can execute arbitrary commands. (Although, as far as I know, most web applications use -t to execute). This issue has been addressed in version 3.3.0. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.

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 confidence

Nuclei vulnerability scanner allows execution of code templates without the -code option and proper signature validation. This enables arbitrary command execution, particularly dangerous in web applications that allow users to edit and execute workflow files.

MitigationUpgrade to Nuclei version 3.3.0. There are no workarounds; all affected installations must be patched.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

CVSS 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
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check Nuclei version
    Run `nuclei -version` or `nuclei --version` to determine the installed version
    Affected if The installed version is lower than 3.3.0 (upgrade to 3.3.0 contains the fix)
  2. Inspect execution command
    Review how Nuclei is invoked in your environment (CI/CD pipelines, scripts, web app integrations) to see if the -code flag is explicitly used or if code templates are being processed
    Affected if Nuclei executes workflow files that contain Go code templates without the -code option enabled or without proper signature validation
  3. Audit workflow templates
    Examine YAML workflow files used by Nuclei for the presence of the `code` protocol or any template that executes arbitrary code (templates in the nuclei-templates repo under the `code` directory or custom templates using code execution features)
    Affected if Workflow files contain code templates that could be executed without proper signature verification
  4. Check signature validation
    Verify if signature validation is enabled for templates (check for `.sign` files alongside templates or configuration settings for template verification)
    Affected if Signature validation is disabled or not enforced on the templates being executed

You are affected if your Nuclei version is below 3.3.0 and you execute workflow files containing code templates without the -code flag or signature validation enabled, allowing arbitrary command execution.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade to Nuclei version 3.3.0. There are no workarounds; all affected installations must be patched.

Recommended fix High confidence

version 3.3.0 or later

  1. 1. Check the current version of Nuclei installed by running: nuclei -version
  2. 2. Download Nuclei version 3.3.0 or later from the official GitHub releases (https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/releases)
  3. 3. Replace the existing Nuclei binary with the new version
  4. 4. Verify the upgrade was successful by running: nuclei -version
  5. 5. Test that the vulnerability is patched by ensuring code templates require the -code flag and proper signatures

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,330
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-40641 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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