Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-50254

Path Traversal in Deepin Reader ≤ 6.0.7

Public PoCPath Traversal
Published
22 December 2023
Modified
21 November 2024
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 9.3
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:H
EPSS Score 0.021 80th percentile
Risk Priority 74 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-50254 is a critical-severity Path Traversal (CWE-22) vulnerability in Deepin Deepin Reader. Its CVSS base score is 9.3 (Critical).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked in the top 20% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

Deepin Reader, the default document viewer in Deepin Linux, contains a path traversal flaw (CWE-22 and CWE-27) in all versions prior to 6.0.7. The defect allows an attacker-supplied DOCX file to overwrite arbitrary files on the victim system, most notably shell configuration files such as .bashrc or .bash_login, thereby enabling remote code execution the next time the user opens a terminal.

An unauthenticated remote attacker can deliver the malicious document through any channel that leads the victim to open it with deepin-reader. Because the vulnerability requires user interaction yet carries a CVSS scope change, successful exploitation grants the attacker the ability to execute arbitrary commands with the privileges of the opening user and potentially affect other users on the same host.

The project’s GitHub advisory (GHSA-q9jr-726g-9495) and the two commits that landed in version 6.0.7 (4db7a079 and c192fd20) confirm that the issue is resolved by adding proper path validation and rejecting unsafe file-write operations inside DOCX archives. Administrators are advised to update deepin-reader immediately and to avoid opening untrusted documents until the patch is applied.

EPSS for the CVE has remained flat at 0.0885 with no material increase since disclosure.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Deepin Linux's default document reader `deepin-reader` software suffers from a serious vulnerability in versions prior to 6.0.7 due to a design flaw that leads to remote command execution via crafted docx document. This is a file overwrite vulnerability. Remote code…

more

execution (RCE) can be achieved by overwriting files like .bash_rc, .bash_login, etc. RCE will be triggered when the user opens the terminal. Version 6.0.7 contains a patch for the issue.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-50255Same vendor: Deepin
CVE-2024-51747Shared CWE-22, CWE-27
CVE-2023-20129Shared CWE-22, CWE-27
CVE-2026-62391Shared CWE-22, CWE-27
CVE-2024-27764Shared CWE-22, CWE-27
CVE-2025-66518Shared CWE-22, CWE-27
CVE-2024-23897Shared CWE-22, CWE-27
CVE-2023-34125Shared CWE-22, CWE-27
CVE-2023-27588Shared CWE-22, CWE-27
CVE-2024-7458Shared CWE-22, CWE-27

Affected Assets

deepin
deepin reader
≤ 6.0.7

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V5.3.2

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

addresses: CWE-22

Validates pathnames and filenames to prevent traversal outside intended directories.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices directly require input validation and path sanitization that prevent directory traversal flaws.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Vulnerability identification processes will discover path traversal weaknesses during code or configuration review.

PR.AA-05 partial match
prevents

Least-privilege file permissions and access enforcement can limit the damage from a successful traversal.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Patching/maintenance can remediate known path-traversal flaws in deployed software (partial prevention of exploitability) but does nothing to stop the coding defect from being introduced in the first place.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

prevents

Secure coding standards require neutralizing '../' sequences and using safe file APIs, eliminating this exact weakness.

finds

Security testing in development catches path traversal via static/dynamic analysis.

prevents

Secure SDLC mandates input validation and path sanitization that directly prevent path traversal.

prevents

Application security requirements include rules for safe file handling and canonicalization.

prevents

Secure architecture principles require least-privilege file access and directory isolation.

mitigates

Information access restriction limits which files an application may read or write.

References