CVE-2023-37896: Nuclei is a vulnerability scanner. Prior to version 2.9.9, a security issue in the Nuclei project affected users utilizing Nuclei as Go code (SDK) run...

Description

Nuclei is a vulnerability scanner. Prior to version 2.9.9, a security issue in the Nuclei project affected users utilizing Nuclei as Go code (SDK) running custom templates. This issue did not affect CLI users. The problem was related to sanitization issues with payload loading in sandbox mode. There was a potential risk with payloads loading in sandbox mode. The issue occurred due to relative paths not being converted to absolute paths before doing the check for `sandbox` flag allowing arbitrary files to be read on the filesystem in certain cases when using Nuclei from `Go` SDK implementation. This issue has been fixed in version 2.9.9. The maintainers have also enabled sandbox by default for filesystem loading. This can be optionally disabled if required. The `-sandbox` option has been deprecated and is now divided into two new options: `-lfa` (allow local file access) which is enabled by default and `-lna` (restrict local network access) which can be enabled by users optionally. The `-lfa` allows file (payload) access anywhere on the system (disabling sandbox effectively), and `-lna` blocks connections to the local/private network.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

7.5/10

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

EPSS Probability

0.85%

53.5th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-22

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Projectdiscovery	Nuclei	< 2.9.9

References

https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/pull/3927Issue Tracking
https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/releases/tag/v2.9.9Release Notes
https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/security/advisories/GHSA-2xx4-jj5v-6mffVendor Advisory
https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/pull/3927Issue Tracking
https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/releases/tag/v2.9.9Release Notes
https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/security/advisories/GHSA-2xx4-jj5v-6mffVendor Advisory

Timeline

Published: Aug 4, 2023
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-37896?

Nuclei is a vulnerability scanner. Prior to version 2.9.9, a security issue in the Nuclei project affected users utilizing Nuclei as Go code (SDK) running custom templates. This issue did not affect CLI users. The problem was related to sanitization issues with payload loading in sandbox mode. There was a potential risk with payloads loading in sandbox mode. The issue occurred due to relative paths not being converted to absolute paths before doing the check for `sandbox` flag allowing arbitrary files to be read on the filesystem in certain cases when using Nuclei from `Go` SDK implementation. This issue has been fixed in version 2.9.9. The maintainers have also enabled sandbox by default for filesystem loading. This can be optionally disabled if required. The `-sandbox` option has been deprecated and is now divided into two new options: `-lfa` (allow local file access) which is enabled by default and `-lna` (restrict local network access) which can be enabled by users optionally. The `-lfa` allows file (payload) access anywhere on the system (disabling sandbox effectively), and `-lna` blocks connections to the local/private network.

How severe is CVE-2023-37896?

CVE-2023-37896 has a CVSS score of 7.5/10 (HIGH severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.85% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2023-37896?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.