CVE-2023-28101Network attack vector

Permission concealment via unescaped terminal control codes

Published Mar 16, 2023 · Updated Feb 25, 2025

Output encoding in affected Flatpak releases allows remote attackers to conceal elevated app permissions via crafted metadata. CLI permission and metadata paths print attacker-controlled strings without escaping nonprinting characters, so embedded terminal control codes alter the displayed permission list. Exploitation requires a user to inspect or install a published malicious app through the CLI, where the deceptive output can hide privileges the app requests.

CVSS severity4.3
Medium
EPSS probability0.89%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Output encoding in affected Flatpak releases allows remote attackers to conceal elevated app permissions via crafted metadata. CLI permission and metadata paths print attacker-controlled strings without escaping nonprinting characters, so embedded terminal control codes alter the displayed permission list. Exploitation requires a user to inspect or install a published malicious app through the CLI, where the deceptive output can hide privileges the app requests.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-28101
Published
Mar 16, 2023
Updated
Feb 25, 2025
Vendor
Flatpak
Product
Flatpak
Classifications
T1036
Attack vector
network
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Mar 16, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Feb 25, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=< 1.10.8
  2. Affected versionversion=>= 1.12.0, < 1.12.8
  3. Affected versionversion=>= 1.14.0, < 1.14.4
  4. Affected versionversion=>= 1.15.0, < 1.15.4

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Flatpak · Flatpakversion=< 1.10.8; version=>= 1.12.0, < 1.12.8; version=>= 1.14.0, < 1.14.4; version=>= 1.15.0, < 1.15.4

Published CVSS scores

4.3NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

T1036Masquerading

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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