js/ui/screenShield.js in GNOME Shell (aka gnome-shell) before 3.8 allows physically proximate attackers to execute arbitrary commands by lev
js/ui/screenShield.js in GNOME Shell (aka gnome-shell) before 3.8 allows physically proximate attackers to execute arbitrary commands by leveraging an unattended workstation with the keyboard focus on the Activities search.
- Published
- Apr 29, 2014
- Updated
- Jun 16, 2026
- EPSS
- 0.4% · 33th percentile
- CWE
- —
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Report tools
Action score
18
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 18 / 40 · 4.6 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 0 / 30 · 0.4%
Affected systems
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| gnome | gnome-shell | cpe:2.3:a:gnome:gnome-shell |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- gnome gnome-shellup to 3.7.92 inclusive
- gnome gnome-shell3.0.0
- gnome gnome-shell3.0.0.1
- gnome gnome-shell3.0.0.2
- gnome gnome-shell3.0.1
- gnome gnome-shell3.0.2
- gnome gnome-shell3.1.3
- gnome gnome-shell3.1.4
- gnome gnome-shell3.1.90
- gnome gnome-shell3.1.90.1
- gnome gnome-shell3.1.91
- gnome gnome-shell3.1.91.1
- gnome gnome-shell3.1.92
- gnome gnome-shell3.2.0
- gnome gnome-shell3.2.1
- gnome gnome-shell3.2.2
- gnome gnome-shell3.2.2.1
- gnome gnome-shell3.3.2
- gnome gnome-shell3.3.3
- gnome gnome-shell3.3.5
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | gnome-shell | before 3.8.4-1 | 3.8.4-1 |
Same product
gnome: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2017-8288gnome-shell 3.22 through 3.24.1 mishandles extensions that fail to reload, which can lead to leaving extensions enabled in the lock screen.33Monitor
- CVE-2014-7300GNOME Shell 3.14.x before 3.14.1, when the Screen Lock feature is used, does not limit the aggregate memory consumption of all active PrtSc 28Monitor
- CVE-2012-4427The gnome-shell plugin 3.4.1 in GNOME allows remote attackers to force the download and installation of arbitrary extensions from extensions27Monitor
- CVE-2010-4000gnome-shell in GNOME Shell 2.31.5 places a zero-length directory name in the LD_LIBRARY_PATH, which allows local users to gain privileges vi27Monitor
- CVE-2021-20315A locking protection bypass flaw was found in some versions of gnome-shell as shipped within CentOS Stream 8, when the "Application menu" or24Monitor
- CVE-2023-43090Gnome-shell: screenshot tool allows viewing open windows when session is locked22Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| debian:gnome-shell | 3.8.4-1 · Debian:12 | Package registry (OSV) |
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
No dated events beyond publication.
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
Technical details
Attack conditions
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- P · data can be read
- Integrity
- P · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- P · the service can be disrupted
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Confidentiality impact
- P
- Integrity impact
- P
- Availability impact
- P
Weakness class (CWE)
—
CVSS vector
AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
nvd-primary
Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.
Noroxi analysis
No Noroxi analysis for this record yet
We don't hand-write analysis for all 385,000+ vulnerabilities; that wouldn't be honest. For notable, high-impact vulnerabilities our team writes the mechanism, detection and remediation steps.
We use this product, ask for helpChange log
- Fix✗ → ✓
For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →
References
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2013/12/27/4
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2013/12/27/6
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2013/12/27/8
- bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=686740
- bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1030431
- github.com/o2platform/DefCon_RESTing/tree/master/Live-Demos/Neo4j
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.