CVE-2026-81192: Local Code Execution via Untrusted Search Path in OpenTelemetry.Resources.Host
Vulnerability ID: CVE-2026-81192
CVSS Score: 7.0
Published: 2026-09-16
An untrusted search path vulnerability (CWE-426) in the OpenTelemetry.Resources.Host NuGet package on macOS allows a local attacker to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges by hijacking standard system commands such as sh and ioreg.
TL;DR
A local PATH hijacking vulnerability in OpenTelemetry's host detector on macOS allows privilege escalation by placing malicious binaries in directories resolved ahead of system paths.
Technical Details
- CWE ID: CWE-426
- Attack Vector: Local (AV:L)
- Attack Complexity: High (AC:H)
- Privileges Required: Low (PR:L)
- User Interaction: None (UI:N)
- Scope: Unchanged (S:U)
- EPSS Score: 0.00138
- CISA KEV Status: Not Listed
Affected Systems
- OpenTelemetry.Resources.Host on macOS
-
OpenTelemetry.Resources.Host: < 1.16.0-beta.2 (Fixed in:
1.16.0-beta.2)
Code Analysis
Commit: 476059d
Fix host.id resource detector on macOS to use absolute path for ioreg
diff --git a/src/OpenTelemetry.Resources.Host/HostDetector.cs b/src/OpenTelemetry.Resources.Host/HostDetector.cs\nindex b2febd703a..dd630cdb82 100644\n--- a/src/OpenTelemetry.Resources.Host/HostDetector.cs\n+++ b/src/OpenTelemetry.Resources.Host/HostDetector.cs\n@@ -186,8 +186,8 @@ private static IEnumerable<string> GetFilePaths()\n {\n var startInfo = new ProcessStartInfo\n {\n- FileName = \"sh\",\n- Arguments = \"-c \\\"ioreg -rd1 -c IOPlatformExpertDevice\\\"\",\n+ FileName = \"/usr/sbin/ioreg\",\n+ Arguments = \"-rd1 -c IOPlatformExpertDevice\",\n UseShellExecute = false,\n CreateNoWindow = true,\n RedirectStandardOutput = true,
Mitigation Strategies
- Upgrade OpenTelemetry.Resources.Host to 1.16.0-beta.2 or later
- Sanitize and restrict the PATH environment variable
- Ensure system directories take priority in command resolution
Remediation Steps:
- Identify references to OpenTelemetry.Resources.Host in project files
- Update the NuGet dependency to version 1.16.0-beta.2 or later
- Rebuild and redeploy the affected .NET applications
- Verify process executions on macOS endpoints using EDR solutions
References
Read the full report for CVE-2026-81192 on our website for more details including interactive diagrams and full exploit analysis.
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