Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:LCVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.
Summary
CVE-2023-52076 is a high-severity Path Traversal (CWE-22) vulnerability in Mate-Desktop Atril. Its CVSS base score is 8.5 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Data Obfuscation (T1001); ranked in the top 35% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to AC-3 (Access Enforcement) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
Atril Document Viewer, the default document reader in the MATE desktop environment for Linux, is affected by a path traversal and arbitrary file write vulnerability in all versions prior to 1.26.2. The flaw, tracked under CWE-22 and related categories, permits writing arbitrary files to any location on the filesystem accessible to the user who opens a malicious document, with the sole restriction that existing files cannot be overwritten.
An attacker can exploit the issue by supplying a crafted document that a victim opens locally, requiring no special privileges beyond normal user access. Successful exploitation yields arbitrary file creation that can be leveraged to achieve remote command execution on the target system despite the inability to overwrite files.
The official GitHub security advisory and release notes for Atril 1.26.2, along with the corresponding Debian LTS advisory, direct users to apply the patch available in version 1.26.2; the fix is implemented in commit e70b21c815418a1e6ebedf6d8d31b8477c03ba50. No material change in EPSS has occurred since disclosure.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2023-56755
Vulnerability Data
Atril Document Viewer is the default document reader of the MATE desktop environment for Linux. A path traversal and arbitrary file write vulnerability exists in versions of Atril prior to 1.26.2. This vulnerability is capable of writing arbitrary files anywhere…
more
on the filesystem to which the user opening a crafted document has access. The only limitation is that this vulnerability cannot be exploited to overwrite existing files, but that doesn't stop an attacker from achieving Remote Command Execution on the target system. Version 1.26.2 of Atril contains a patch for this vulnerability.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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V5.3.2
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Enforces the intended directory access authorizations that path traversal would otherwise bypass.
Input validation directly neutralizes special path elements before pathname construction occurs.
Information flow enforcement can block unauthorized data flows that would result from a successful path traversal.
Least privilege reduces the impact of any unauthorized file access obtained via traversal.
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.
Vulnerability identification processes will discover path traversal weaknesses during code or configuration review.
Least-privilege file permissions and access enforcement can limit the damage from a successful traversal.
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.
Secure SDLC practices directly require input validation and path sanitization that prevent ../ traversal.
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.