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MinetestApplication

CVE-2026-41196

CRITICAL · 10.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-04-23
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.15.2 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click Patch available

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
Luanti (formerly Minetest) is an open source voxel game-creation platform. Starting in version 5.0.0 and prior to version 5.15.2, a malicious mod can trivially escape the sandboxed Lua environment to execute arbitrary code and gain full filesystem access on the user's device. This applies to the server-side mod, async and mapgen as well as the client-side (CSM) environments. This vulnerability is only exploitable when using LuaJIT. Version 5.15.2 contains a patch. On release versions, one can also patch this issue without recompiling by editing `builtin/init.lua` and adding the line `getfenv = nil` at the end. Note that this will break mods relying on this function (which is not inherently unsafe).

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

Luanti (Minetest) versions 5.0.0 through 5.15.1 have a critical sandbox escape vulnerability where malicious mods can use LuaJIT's getfenv() to break out of the sandboxed Lua environment and execute arbitrary code with full filesystem access. This affects server-side mods, async, mapgen, and client-side CSM environments.

MitigationUpgrade to version 5.15.2 or later. As an alternative patch without recompiling, add 'getfenv = nil' at the end of builtin/init.lua (note: this may break mods relying on getfenv).

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
MinetestApplication
Affected:>= 5.0.0, < 5.15.2

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/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 checks

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

  1. Identify installed Luanti/Minetest version
    Run 'minetest --version' or check the application properties/version info. On Linux, also check /usr/bin/minetest --version or your package manager listing.
    Affected if The version falls within 5.0.0 to 5.15.1 inclusive.
  2. Determine if server-side mods are loaded
    Inspect the server's mod configuration: check the 'mods' directory in the world folder, or the server's startup parameters for --modpath or --world. Look for any .lua mod files in active mod directories.
    Affected if Server mods are enabled and at least one mod is loaded in a version 5.0.0-5.15.1 installation.
  3. Determine if client-side mods (CSM) are enabled
    Check the client's local settings (minetest.conf) for the 'enable_client_mods' setting, or inspect the 'clientmods' folder in the world directory.
    Affected if Client-side mods are enabled in a version 5.0.0-5.15.1 installation.
  4. Check for async or mapgen Lua environments
    Review server configuration for 'secure.enable_security' setting (if set to false, async mods run unsandboxed) and inspect any custom mapgen scripts or mods that execute Lua during world generation.
    Affected if Async mod execution or custom mapgen is in use with a version 5.0.0-5.15.1 installation.
  5. Verify getfenv is accessible in the Lua environment
    From within a loaded mod, attempt to execute 'print(type(getfenv))' or inspect the builtin/init.lua file in the Luanti installation to see if getfenv has been explicitly set to nil.
    Affected if getfenv is not nil and returns a function, meaning the sandbox escape is possible.

A user is affected if they are running Luanti/Minetegame version 5.0.0 through 5.15.1 with any mod environment (server mods, CSM, async, or mapgen Lua) enabled and getfenv remains accessible in the Lua sandbox.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 5.15.2 or later
Fixed in 5.15.2
Vendor patch github.com →
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to version 5.15.2 or later. As an alternative patch without recompiling, add 'getfenv = nil' at the end of builtin/init.lua (note: this may break mods relying on getfenv).

Recommended fix High confidence

5.15.2

  1. Upgrade Minetest/Luanti to version 5.15.2 or later from the official source (www.minetest.net)
  2. After upgrading, verify the version by checking the main menu or running `minetest --version`
  3. If upgrading is not immediately possible, edit `builtin/init.lua` and add the line `getfenv = nil` at the end of the file as a workaround
  4. Note: Adding `getfenv = nil` will break any mods that rely on the getfenv function
Caveat The workaround (adding `getfenv = nil`) will break mods that depend on the getfenv function; upgrade to 5.15.2 is the preferred solution

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

Fix this in Minetest Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2026-41196 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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data