CVE-2026-46529

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.

Status

Show unmaintained releases

Package	Ubuntu Release	Status
atril	26.04 LTS resolute	Needs evaluation
	25.10 questing	Ignored end of life, was needs-triage
	24.04 LTS noble	Needs evaluation
	22.04 LTS jammy	Needs evaluation
	20.04 LTS focal	Needs evaluation
	18.04 LTS bionic	Needs evaluation
evince	26.04 LTS resolute	Fixed 49~alpha-2ubuntu2.1
	25.10 questing	Fixed 48.1-3ubuntu2.1
	24.04 LTS noble	Fixed 46.3.1-0ubuntu1.1
	22.04 LTS jammy	Fixed 42.3-0ubuntu3.2
	20.04 LTS focal	Needs evaluation
	18.04 LTS bionic	Needs evaluation
	16.04 LTS xenial	Needs evaluation
evince-gtk3	26.04 LTS resolute	Needs evaluation
	25.10 questing	Not in release
	24.04 LTS noble	Not in release
	22.04 LTS jammy	Not in release
papers	26.04 LTS resolute	Fixed 50.1-0ubuntu1.1
	25.10 questing	Fixed 48.0-1ubuntu1.25.10.4
	24.04 LTS noble	Not in release
	22.04 LTS jammy	Not in release

Patch details

For informational purposes only. We recommend not to cherry-pick updates. How can I get the fixes?

Package	Patch details
evince	Upstream: 970c219
papers	Upstream: 1b82bf6

Severity score breakdown

CVSS version:

Base score 8.4 · High

Base metrics

Parameter	Value
Attack vector	Local
Attack complexity	Low
Attack requirements	None
Privileges required	None
User interaction	Active
Vulnerable system - Confidentiality impact	High
Vulnerable system - Integrity impact	High
Vulnerable system - Availability impact	High
Subsequent system - Confidentiality impact	None
Subsequent system - Integrity impact	None
Subsequent system - Availability impact	None

Scores

Parameter	Value
Base score	8.4 · High
Base + Threat score	-
Base + Environmental score	-
Base + Threat + Environmental score	-

Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Base score 7.8 · High

Base metrics

Parameter	Value
Attack vector	Local
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges required	None
User interaction	Required
Scope	Unchanged
Confidentiality impact	High
Integrity impact	High
Availability impact	High

Scores

Parameter	Value
Base score	7.8 · High
Exploitability score	-
Impact score	-

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

References

Related Ubuntu Security Notices (USN)

USN-8295-1
Evince vulnerability
22 May 2026

USN-8321-1
Papers vulnerability
27 May 2026