# CVE-2017-14604: Code injection in n/a

> Attackers can execute arbitrary commands by spoofing file extensions in Nautilus, tricking users into running malicious .desktop files disguised as PDFs.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 20 Sep 2017
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2017-14604, DSA-3994-1, GHSA-94j8-ww24-pr2v, RHSA-2018:0223, SUSE-SU-2018:1694-1, SUSE-SU-2018:2058-1, UBUNTU-CVE-2017-14604

## What is CVE-2017-14604?

CVE-2017-14604 is a medium-severity code injection vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 20 Sep 2017. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

GNOME Nautilus before 3.23.90 allows attackers to spoof a file type by using the .desktop file extension, as demonstrated by an attack in which a .desktop file's Name field ends in .pdf but this file's Exec field launches a malicious "sh -c" command. In other words, Nautilus provides no UI indication that a file actually has the potentially unsafe .desktop extension; instead, the UI only shows the .pdf extension. One (slightly) mitigating factor is that an attack requires the .desktop file to have execute permission. The solution is to ask the user to confirm that the file is supposed to be treated as a .desktop file, and then remember the user's answer in the metadata::trusted field.

Weakness: CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2017-14604?

It affects 2 products.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `nautilus` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | All versions | 0:3.22.3-4.el7_4 |
| `nautilus-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | All versions | 0:3.22.3-4.el7_4 |
| `nautilus-devel` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | All versions | 0:3.22.3-4.el7_4 |
| `nautilus-extensions` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | All versions | 0:3.22.3-4.el7_4 |
| `nautilus` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server | All versions | 0:3.22.3-4.el7_4 |
| `nautilus-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server | All versions | 0:3.22.3-4.el7_4 |
| `nautilus-devel` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server | All versions | 0:3.22.3-4.el7_4 |
| `nautilus-extensions` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server | All versions | 0:3.22.3-4.el7_4 |
| `nautilus` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation | All versions | 0:3.22.3-4.el7_4 |
| `nautilus-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation | All versions | 0:3.22.3-4.el7_4 |
| `nautilus-devel` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation | All versions | 0:3.22.3-4.el7_4 |
| `nautilus-extensions` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation | All versions | 0:3.22.3-4.el7_4 |
| `nautilus` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 SP3 | All versions | 3.20.3-23.3.14 |
| `nautilus` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4 | All versions | 2.28.4-1.16.21.3.1 |
| `nautilus` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP3 | All versions | 3.20.3-23.3.14 |
| `nautilus` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 11 SP4 | All versions | 2.28.4-1.16.21.3.1 |
| `nautilus` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP3 | All versions | 3.20.3-23.3.14 |
| `nautilus` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 11 SP4 | All versions | 2.28.4-1.16.21.3.1 |
| `nautilus` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 12 SP3 | All versions | 3.20.3-23.3.14 |
| `nautilus` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 12 SP3 | All versions | 3.20.3-23.3.14 |

Products: Debian Debian Linux, Gnome Nautilus.

## How do I fix CVE-2017-14604?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2017-14604 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2017-14604 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Debian Debian Linux

- [CVE-2015-3306](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-3306/): ProFTPD Improper Access Control (critical 10.0, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-49113](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-49113/): RoundCube Webmail Deserialization of Untrusted Data (critical 9.9, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-24061](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-24061/): GNU InetUtils Argument Injection (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-39682](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-39682/): Linux Kernel Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2024-9680](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-9680/): Mozilla Firefox Use-After-Free (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2017-14604 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2017-14604 is a medium-severity code injection vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 20 Sep 2017. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2017-14604 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Debian Debian Linux. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-14604/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-14604/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2017-14604
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-14604
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2017-14604

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-14604/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.