How severe is CVE-2023-28101?

CVE-2023-28101 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.0, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity low, and availability none.

Is CVE-2023-28101 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (55th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2023-28101?

CVE-2023-28101 affects Flatpak. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2023-28101?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2023-28101 published?

CVE-2023-28101 was published on 2023-03-16 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2023-28101

CVE-2023-28101 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Flatpak with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.0. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-116.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.0)
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (55th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-116
Affected product: Flatpak
Published: 2023-03-16
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Flatpak is a system for building, distributing, and running sandboxed desktop applications on Linux. In versions prior to 1.10.8, 1.12.8, 1.14.4, and 1.15.4, if an attacker publishes a Flatpak app with elevated permissions, they can hide those permissions from users of the `flatpak(1)` command-line interface by setting other permissions to crafted values that contain non-printable control characters such as `ESC`. A fix is available in versions 1.10.8, 1.12.8, 1.14.4, and 1.15.4. As a workaround, use a GUI like GNOME Software rather than the command-line interface, or only install apps whose maintainers you trust.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2023-28101?: Flatpak is a system for building, distributing, and running sandboxed desktop applications on Linux. In versions prior to 1.10.8, 1.12.8, 1.14.4, and 1.15.4, if an attacker publishes a Flatpak app with elevated permissions, they can hide those permissions from users of the `flatpak(1)` command-line interface by setting other permissions to crafted values that contain non-printable control characters such as `ESC`. A fix is available in versions 1.10.8, 1.12.8, 1.14.4, and 1.15.4. As a workaround, use a GUI like GNOME Software rather than the command-line interface, or only install apps whose maintainers you trust.
How severe is CVE-2023-28101?: CVE-2023-28101 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.0, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity low, and availability none.
Is CVE-2023-28101 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (55th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2023-28101?: CVE-2023-28101 affects Flatpak. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2023-28101?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2023-28101 published?: CVE-2023-28101 was published on 2023-03-16 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:flatpak:flatpak:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Flatpak

CVE-2026-34078 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Flatpak is a Linux application sandboxing and distribution framework. Prior to 1.16.4, the Flatpak portal accepts paths…
CVE-2024-42472 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Flatpak is a Linux application sandboxing and distribution framework. Prior to versions 1.14.0 and 1.15.10, a malicious…
CVE-2023-28100 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Flatpak is a system for building, distributing, and running sandboxed desktop applications on Linux. Versions prior to…
CVE-2019-10063 — Critical (CVSS 9.0): Flatpak before 1.0.8, 1.1.x and 1.2.x before 1.2.4, and 1.3.x before 1.3.1 allows a sandbox bypass. Flatpak versions…
CVE-2021-41133 — High (CVSS 8.8): Flatpak is a system for building, distributing, and running sandboxed desktop applications on Linux. In versions prior…
CVE-2018-6560 — High (CVSS 8.8): In dbus-proxy/flatpak-proxy.c in Flatpak before 0.8.9, and 0.9.x and 0.10.x before 0.10.3, crafted D-Bus messages to…

All CVEs affecting Flatpak →

Other CWE-116 vulnerabilities

CVE-2025-55730 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): XWiki Remote Macros provides XWiki rendering macros that are useful when migrating content from Confluence. Starting in…
CVE-2025-55729 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): XWiki Remote Macros provides XWiki rendering macros that are useful when migrating content from Confluence. Starting in…
CVE-2023-47143 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): IBM Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager 7.3.0.0 through 7.3.0.10 is vulnerable to HTTP header injection,…
CVE-2023-26472 — Critical (CVSS 9.9): XWiki Platform is a generic wiki platform. Starting in version 6.2-milestone-1, one can execute any wiki content with…
CVE-2022-41934 — Critical (CVSS 9.9): XWiki Platform is a generic wiki platform offering runtime services for applications built on top of it. Any user with…
CVE-2022-36100 — Critical (CVSS 9.9): XWiki Platform Applications Tag and XWiki Platform Tag UI are tag applications for XWiki, a generic wiki platform.…

Browse all CWE-116 vulnerabilities →