CVE-2023-52138

CVE-2023-52138 is a high-severity vulnerability in Mate-desktop Engrampa with a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.2. 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-22.

Key facts

Description

Engrampa is an archive manager for the MATE environment. Engrampa is found to be vulnerable to a Path Traversal vulnerability that can be leveraged to achieve full Remote Command Execution (RCE) on the target. While handling CPIO archives, the Engrampa Archive manager follows symlink, cpio by default will follow stored symlinks while extracting and the Archiver will not check the symlink location, which leads to arbitrary file writes to unintended locations. When the victim extracts the archive, the attacker can craft a malicious cpio or ISO archive to achieve RCE on the target system. This vulnerability was fixed in commit 63d5dfa.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2023-52138?
Engrampa is an archive manager for the MATE environment. Engrampa is found to be vulnerable to a Path Traversal vulnerability that can be leveraged to achieve full Remote Command Execution (RCE) on the target. While handling CPIO archives, the Engrampa Archive manager follows symlink, cpio by default will follow stored symlinks while extracting and the Archiver will not check the symlink location, which leads to arbitrary file writes to unintended locations. When the victim extracts the archive, the attacker can craft a malicious cpio or ISO archive to achieve RCE on the target system. This vulnerability was fixed in commit 63d5dfa.
How severe is CVE-2023-52138?
CVE-2023-52138 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.2, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is low, integrity high, and availability none.
Is CVE-2023-52138 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (74th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2023-52138?
CVE-2023-52138 affects Mate-desktop Engrampa. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2023-52138?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
Does CVE-2023-52138 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?
Yes. CVE-2023-52138 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2023-56811.
When was CVE-2023-52138 published?
CVE-2023-52138 was published on 2024-02-05 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

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