CVE-2023-28100 : What You Need to Know

This CVE record involves a vulnerability in Flatpak, a system for creating, distributing, and running sandboxed desktop applications on Linux. The vulnerability affects versions prior to 1.10.8, 1.12.8, 1.14.4, and 1.15.4 and allows commands to be sent outside the sandbox if the Flatpak app is running on a Linux virtual console.

Understanding CVE-2023-28100

This section delves into the details of CVE-2023-28100 and its implications.

What is CVE-2023-28100?

The vulnerability in Flatpak versions prior to 1.10.8, 1.12.8, 1.14.4, and 1.15.4 allows malicious commands to escape the sandbox if the Flatpak app is executed on specific Linux virtual consoles.

The Impact of CVE-2023-28100

With a CVSS v3.1 base score of 10 and a critical severity rating, this vulnerability poses a high risk to confidentiality, integrity, and availability. It can potentially lead to unauthorized command execution outside the intended environment.

Technical Details of CVE-2023-28100

This section provides a more technical overview of the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

Flatpak versions with the CVE-2023-28100 vulnerability utilize the

TIOCLINUX

ioctl command on Linux virtual consoles like

/dev/tty1

, enabling text copying from the console into the command buffer, leading to potential post-execution command execution.

Affected Systems and Versions

The impacted software is Flatpak, with versions prior to 1.10.8, 1.12.8, 1.14.4, and 1.15.4 being vulnerable to this issue.

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability arises when a Flatpak app is run on Linux virtual consoles

/dev/tty1

,

/dev/tty2

, etc., allowing unauthorized command injections.

Mitigation and Prevention

This section outlines steps to mitigate the risk associated with CVE-2023-28100.

Immediate Steps to Take

Users are advised to update their Flatpak versions to 1.10.8, 1.12.8, 1.14.4, or 1.15.4, which contain patches addressing the vulnerability. Additionally, avoiding running Flatpak on Linux virtual consoles can act as a temporary workaround.

Long-Term Security Practices

To enhance security, it is recommended to use Flatpak within Wayland or X11 graphical environments rather than on Linux virtual consoles.

Patching and Updates

Regularly monitoring for security updates and promptly applying patches provided by Flatpak can help in safeguarding systems against known vulnerabilities like CVE-2023-28100.