GNOME Nautilus before 3.23.90 allows attackers to spoof a file type by using the .desktop file extension, as demonstrated by an attack in wh
GNOME Nautilus before 3.23.90 allows attackers to spoof a file type by using the .desktop file extension, as demonstrated by an attack in which a .desktop file's Name field ends in .pdf but this file's Exec field launches a malicious "sh -c" command. In other words, Nautilus provides no UI indication that a file actually has the potentially unsafe .desktop extension; instead, the UI only shows the .pdf extension. One (slightly) mitigating factor is that an attack requires the .desktop file to have execute permission. The solution is to ask the user to confirm that the file is supposed to be treated as a .desktop file, and then remember the user's answer in the metadata::trusted field.
- Published
- Sep 20, 2017
- Updated
- Jun 16, 2026
- EPSS
- 2.5% · 84th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-20
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Report tools
Action score
27
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 26 / 40 · 6.5 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 1 / 30 · 2.5%
Affected systems
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| gnome | nautilus | cpe:2.3:a:gnome:nautilus |
| debian | debian linux | cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- debian debian linux10.0
- debian debian linux8.0
- debian debian linux9.0
- gnome nautilusbefore 3.23.90
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | nautilus | before 3.25.90-1 | 3.25.90-1 |
| Debian:9 | nautilus | before 3.22.3-1+deb9u1 | 3.22.3-1+deb9u1 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | nautilus | before 0:3.22.3-4.el7_4 | 0:3.22.3-4.el7_4 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | nautilus-debuginfo | before 0:3.22.3-4.el7_4 | 0:3.22.3-4.el7_4 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | nautilus-devel | before 0:3.22.3-4.el7_4 | 0:3.22.3-4.el7_4 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | nautilus-extensions | before 0:3.22.3-4.el7_4 | 0:3.22.3-4.el7_4 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 SP3 | nautilus | before 3.20.3-23.3.14 | 3.20.3-23.3.14 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 11 SP4 | nautilus | before 2.28.4-1.16.21.3.1 | 2.28.4-1.16.21.3.1 |
Same product
gnome: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2019-11461An issue was discovered in GNOME Nautilus 3.30 prior to 3.30.6 and 3.32 prior to 3.32.1.31Monitor
- CVE-2022-37290GNOME Nautilus 42.2 allows a NULL pointer dereference and get_basename application crash via a pasted ZIP archive.22Monitor
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:nautilus | 3.25.90-1 · Debian:12 | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:nautilus | 0:3.22.3-4.el7_4 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:nautilus-debuginfo | 0:3.22.3-4.el7_4 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:nautilus-devel | 0:3.22.3-4.el7_4 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:nautilus-extensions | 0:3.22.3-4.el7_4 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | Package registry (OSV) |
| suse:nautilus | 2.28.4-1.16.21.3.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 11 SP4 | 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.
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
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
- A low-privileged account is enough.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- none
- Integrity
- high · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- none
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- None
- Integrity impact
- High
- Availability impact
- None
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-20 · Improper Input ValidationCVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
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.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
- Buffer Overflow via Environment VariablesCAPEC-10likelihood: High · High
- Server Side Include (SSI) InjectionCAPEC-101likelihood: High · High
- Cross Zone ScriptingCAPEC-104likelihood: Medium · High
- Command Line Execution through SQL InjectionCAPEC-108likelihood: Low · Very High
- Object Relational Mapping InjectionCAPEC-109likelihood: Low · High
- SQL Injection through SOAP Parameter TamperingCAPEC-110likelihood: High · Very High
- Double EncodingCAPEC-120likelihood: Low · Medium
- Subverting Environment Variable ValuesCAPEC-13likelihood: High · Very High
ATT&CK techniques
- Obfuscated Files or InformationT1027
- Masquerading: Invalid Code SignatureT1036.001
- Steal Web Session CookieT1539
- Subvert Trust Controls: Code SigningT1553.002
- Impair Defenses:Impair Command History LoggingT1562.003
- Hijack Execution Flow:Dynamic Linker HijackingT1574.006
- Hijack Execution Flow:Path Interception by PATH Environment VariableT1574.007
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.debian.org/security/2017/dsa-3994
- www.securityfocus.com/bid/101012
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:0223
- bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=860268
- bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=777991
- github.com/GNOME/nautilus/commit/1630f53481f445ada0a455e9979236d31a8d3bb0
- github.com/GNOME/nautilus/commit/bc919205bf774f6af3fa7154506c46039af5a69b
- github.com/freedomofpress/securedrop/issues/2238
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.