CVE-2024-3094
Xz: malicious code in distributed source
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Description
Malicious code was discovered in the upstream tarballs of xz, starting with version 5.6.0. Through a series of complex obfuscations, the liblzma build process extracts a prebuilt object file from a disguised test file existing in the source code, which is then used to modify specific functions in the liblzma code. This results in a modified liblzma library that can be used by any software linked against this library, intercepting and modifying the data interaction with this library.
Official description from the CVE record, published by redhat. Copyright © 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. See /security/cve/legal for the CVE license. View the record on cve.org
Key data
CVSS 3.1 Critical 10.0
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Attack vector: Network
The vulnerable component can be reached over a network, possibly from the Internet.
Attack complexity: Low
No special conditions are needed. The attack can be repeated at will.
Privileges required: None
No account or privileges are needed.
User interaction: None
No action from any user is needed.
Scope: Changed
The impact can reach other components beyond the vulnerable one.
Confidentiality impact: High
Serious or total effect on the secrecy of data.
Integrity impact: High
Serious or total effect on the trustworthiness of data.
Availability impact: High
Serious or total effect on availability.
| Metric | Value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Attack vector | Network | The vulnerable component can be reached over a network, possibly from the Internet. |
| Attack complexity | Low | No special conditions are needed. The attack can be repeated at will. |
| Privileges required | None | No account or privileges are needed. |
| User interaction | None | No action from any user is needed. |
| Scope | Changed | The impact can reach other components beyond the vulnerable one. |
| Confidentiality impact | High | Serious or total effect on the secrecy of data. |
| Integrity impact | High | Serious or total effect on the trustworthiness of data. |
| Availability impact | High | Serious or total effect on availability. |
CVSS is owned and managed by FIRST.Org, Inc. (FIRST) and is used by permission. Each CVSS score on this site is shown together with its vector string, as published in the CVE record by the source named next to it. Learn more at first.org/cvss.
EPSS
- Score
- 0.90900 (90.9% probability)
- Percentile
- 99.8%
- Scores of
- Nov 10, 2026
- Model
- v2026.06.15
CISA assessment as of Apr 2, 2024
- Automatable
- yes
- Technical impact
- total
Weakness (CWE)
- CWE-506Embedded Malicious Code
Affected products
xz
- affected: 5.6.0
- affected: 5.6.1
Listed as not affected
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 8
References
- access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2024-3094vdb-entry
- RHBZ#2272210 (bugzilla.redhat.com)issue-tracking
- openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/03/29/4
- redhat.com/en/blog/urgent-security-alert-fedora-41-and-rawh…
- binarly.io/blog/persistent-risk-xz-utils-backdoor-still-lur…
- ariadne.space/2024/04/02/the-xz-utils-backdoor-is-a-symptom…
- arstechnica.com/security/2024/03/backdoor-found-in-widely-u…
- aws.amazon.com/security/security-bulletins/AWS-2024-002
- blog.netbsd.org/tnf/entry/statement_on_backdoor_in_xz
- boehs.org/node/everything-i-know-about-the-xz-backdoor
- bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=1068024
- bugs.gentoo.org/928134
- bugzilla.suse.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1222124
- discourse.nixos.org/t/cve-2024-3094-malicious-code-in-xz-5-…
- gist.github.com/thesamesam/223949d5a074ebc3dce9ee78baad9e27
- github.com/advisories/GHSA-rxwq-x6h5-x525
- github.com/amlweems/xzbot
- github.com/karcherm/xz-malware
- gynvael.coldwind.pl/?lang=en&id=782
- lists.debian.org/debian-security-announce/2024/msg00057.html
- lists.freebsd.org/archives/freebsd-security/2024-March/0002…
- lwn.net/Articles/967180
- news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39865810
- news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39877267
- news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39895344
- openssf.org/blog/2024/03/30/xz-backdoor-cve-2024-3094
- research.swtch.com/xz-script
- research.swtch.com/xz-timeline
- security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2024-3094
- security.alpinelinux.org/vuln/CVE-2024-3094
- security.archlinux.org/CVE-2024-3094
- security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20240402-0001
- tukaani.org/xz-backdoor
- twitter.com/LetsDefendIO/status/1774804387417751958
- twitter.com/debian/status/1774219194638409898
- twitter.com/infosecb/status/1774595540233167206
- twitter.com/infosecb/status/1774597228864139400
- ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2024-3094
- cisa.gov/news-events/alerts/2024/03/29/reported-supply-chai…
- darkreading.com/vulnerabilities-threats/are-you-affected-by…
- kali.org/blog/about-the-xz-backdoor
- tenable.com/blog/frequently-asked-questions-cve-2024-3094-s…
- theregister.com/2024/03/29/malicious_backdoor_xz
- vicarius.io/vsociety/vulnerabilities/cve-2024-3094
- xeiaso.net/notes/2024/xz-vuln
- openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/03/30/12
- openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/03/30/27
- openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/03/29/12
- openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/03/29/10
- openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/03/30/36
- openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/04/16/5
- openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/03/29/8
- openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/03/30/5
- openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/03/29/5
- openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/03/29/4
Timeline
- ID reserved
- Record published
- Record last updated
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Data from the CVE Program (MITRE), CISA KEV and FIRST EPSS. CVSS is owned by FIRST and used by permission. Not affiliated with or endorsed by MITRE, CISA or FIRST. Data as of Nov 10, 2026, 19:51 UTC. Sources and licenses