CVE-2026-46529: mate-desktop atril Command Injection
Vulnerability summary
CVE-2026-46529 is a high (CVSS 8.4) Command Injection vulnerability in mate-desktop atril. EPSS estimates a 0.41% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 34.3% of scored vulnerabilities.
Advisory lineage
Upstream 0 · Downstream 1 · Related 3Timeline
- 10-06-2026PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
- 28-07-2026Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.
Description
Atril Document Viewer is the default document reader of the MATE desktop environment for Linux. A single-click remote code execution vulnerability in versions prior to 1.26.3 and 1.28.4 allows an attacker to achieve arbitrary code execution as the user by tricking them into clicking a link inside a malicious PDF document. The PDF can be packaged as a polyglot file that is simultaneously a valid PDF and a valid ELF shared library, making the attack a single-file, single-click, configuration-independent RCE on stock atril installations. The root cause is `shell/ev-application.c:ev_spawn`, which builds a command line from attacker-controlled PDF link-destination fields without applying `g_shell_quote`. The cmdline is then handed to `g_app_info_create_from_commandline`, which shell-parses it back into argv — splitting any embedded `--gtk-module=PATH` into a separate argv element. GTK then `dlopen()`s the path during init, running any `__attribute__((constructor))` it finds. Versions 1.26.3 and 1.28.4 contain a patch for the issue. This is the same defect class as CVE-2023-51698 (CBT `--checkpoint-action` injection in `comics-document.c`, fixed in 1.6.2) but in a different code path (`shell/ev-application.c`) that the original patch did not touch.
CVSS metrics
8 scores · 5 sources · 2 versions- OSV · UbuntuEcosystem advisory · calculated8.4HighCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
- OSV · DebianEcosystem advisory · calculated8.4HighCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
- NVDNIST8.4HighCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
- OSV · Red hatEcosystem advisory · calculated7.8HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- OSV · UbuntuEcosystem advisory · calculated7.8HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- NVDNIST7.8HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS trend
Probability
0.41%
Chance of exploitation in the next 30 days
Percentile
34%
Versus all other CVEs
30-day change
-0.11 pp
From 0.53% on 19-09-2026
Known exploited
Compare KEV catalogsNot in any of the 3 tracked catalogs.
Public exploits
0 foundNo public exploits indexed.
Weaknesses
CWE · root cause- CWE-77Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection')The product constructs all or part of a command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended command when it is sent to a downstream component.
- CWE-88Improper Neutralization of Argument Delimiters in a Command ('Argument Injection')The product constructs a string for a command to be executed by a separate component in another control sphere, but it does not properly delimit the intended arguments, options, or switches within that command string.
- CWE-829Inclusion of Functionality from Untrusted Control SphereThe product imports, requires, or includes executable functionality (such as a library) from a source that is outside of the intended control sphere.
Affected systems
Redhat16 products
- evince< 0:40.5-2.el9_6.1 | < 0:40.5-2.el9_4.1 | < 0:40.5-2.el9_2.1 | < 0:3.28.2-11.el7_9 | < 0:3.28.4-16.el8_8.1 | < 0:3.28.4-11.el8_4.1 | < 0:3.28.4-16.el8_6.1 | < 0:40.5-4.el9_8.1 | < 0:3.28.4-17.el8_10
- evince-browser-plugin< 0:3.28.2-11.el7_9 | < 0:3.28.4-16.el8_8.1 | < 0:3.28.4-11.el8_4.1 | < 0:3.28.4-16.el8_6.1 | < 0:3.28.4-17.el8_10
- evince-browser-plugin-debuginfo< 0:3.28.4-16.el8_8.1 | < 0:3.28.4-11.el8_4.1 | < 0:3.28.4-16.el8_6.1 | < 0:3.28.4-17.el8_10
- evince-debuginfo< 0:40.5-2.el9_6.1 | < 0:40.5-2.el9_4.1 | < 0:40.5-2.el9_2.1 | < 0:3.28.2-11.el7_9 | < 0:3.28.4-16.el8_8.1 | < 0:3.28.4-11.el8_4.1 | < 0:3.28.4-16.el8_6.1 | < 0:40.5-4.el9_8.1 | < 0:3.28.4-17.el8_10
- evince-debugsource< 0:40.5-2.el9_6.1 | < 0:40.5-2.el9_4.1 | < 0:40.5-2.el9_2.1 | < 0:3.28.4-16.el8_8.1 | < 0:3.28.4-11.el8_4.1 | < 0:3.28.4-16.el8_6.1 | < 0:40.5-4.el9_8.1 | < 0:3.28.4-17.el8_10
Debian4 products
- atril< 1.26.0-2+deb12u4 | < 1.26.2-4+deb13u1 | < 1.28.4-1
- evince< 43.1-2+deb12u1 | < 48.1-3+deb13u1
- evince-gtk3< 48.4+dfsg-1
- papersAll versions (No fix recorded) | < 49.3-3
Ubuntu4 products
- atril< 1.20.1-2ubuntu2+esm3 | < 1.24.0-1ubuntu0.2+esm1 | < 1.26.0-1ubuntu1.2+esm1 | < 1.26.2-3ubuntu0.1~esm1 | All versions (No fix recorded) | < 1.28.2-1ubuntu0.1~esm1
- evinceAll versions (No fix recorded) | < 42.3-0ubuntu3.2 | < 46.3.1-0ubuntu1.1 | < 48.1-3ubuntu2.1 | < 49~alpha-2ubuntu2.1
- evince-gtk3All versions (No fix recorded)
- papers< 48.0-1ubuntu1.25.10.4 | < 50.1-0ubuntu1.1
Mageia3 products
- atril< 1.26.1-1.2.mga9
- evince< 44.2-1.1.mga9
- xreader< 3.6.0-2.1.mga9
Opensuse3 products
- papers&distro=openSUSE Leap 16.0< 48.10-160000.1.1
- papers&distro=openSUSE Tumbleweed< 50.1-2.1
- xreader&distro=openSUSE Tumbleweed< 4.6.5-1.1
Suse2 products
- papers&distro=SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16.0< 48.10-160000.1.1
- papers&distro=SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications 16.0< 48.10-160000.1.1
Mate-desktop1 product
- atril< 1.26.3 | ≥ 1.27.0, < 1.28.4
7 vendors · 33 products
