CVE-2024-48992: needrestart · Uncontrolled Search Path Element
Affects needrestartSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High : upgrade to 3.8 soon.
Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 02:24 UTC
Thin evidence
One scorer or none| CNA (canonical) | CVSS 3.1 | 7.8 |
|---|
- Patch
- Available – fixed in 3.8
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 19 Nov 2024
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 29 Oct 2026.
What to do
Upgrade needrestart to 3.8.
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| needrestart needrestart | Affected
| Fixed in
|
AI-suggested
Upgrade needrestart to version 3.8 or later where this vulnerability is fixed. Until patched, restrict local user access and avoid running needrestart in untrusted environments.
Description
CVE-2024-48992 is a vulnerability in needrestart before version 3.8 where local attackers can execute arbitrary code as root by manipulating the RUBYLIB environment variable. This occurs due to an uncontrolled search path element (CWE-427) that causes needrestart to run the Ruby interpreter with attacker-controlled library paths.
References
- cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-48992 (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/liske/needrestart/commit/b5f25f6ec6e7dd0c5be249e4e45de4ee9ffe594f (opens in a new tab)
- qualys.com/2024/11/19/needrestart/needrestart.txt (opens in a new tab)
- openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/11/19/1 (opens in a new tab)
- seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2024/Nov/17 (opens in a new tab)
- lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/11/msg00014.html (opens in a new tab)