# CVE-2023-28101: Flatpak metadata with ANSI control codes can cause misleading terminal output

> Attackers can hide elevated permissions in Flatpak apps using ANSI codes, misleading users via CLI and bypassing security checks.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.0 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/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:** 16 Mar 2023
- **Updated:** 25 Feb 2025
- **Also known as:** CLSA-2025-1740740956, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-28101, GHSA-h43h-fwqx-mpp8, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-28101

## What is CVE-2023-28101?

CVE-2023-28101 is a medium-severity vulnerability in flatpak, published on 16 Mar 2023. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Flatpak is a system for building, distributing, and running sandboxed desktop applications on Linux. In versions prior to 1.10.8, 1.12.8, 1.14.4, and 1.15.4, if an attacker publishes a Flatpak app with elevated permissions, they can hide those permissions from users of the `flatpak(1)` command-line interface by setting other permissions to crafted values that contain non-printable control characters such as `ESC`. A fix is available in versions 1.10.8, 1.12.8, 1.14.4, and 1.15.4. As a workaround, use a GUI like GNOME Software rather than the command-line interface, or only install apps whose maintainers you trust.

Weakness: CWE-116 (Improper Encoding or Escaping of Output)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-28101?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Flatpak Flatpak.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-28101?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2023-28101 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-28101 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in flatpak

- [CVE-2023-28100](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-28100/): TIOCLINUX can send commands outside sandbox if running on a virtual console (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2026-34078](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-34078/): Flatpak has a complete sandbox escape leading to host file access and code execution in the host context (critical 9.3)
- [CVE-2019-10063](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-10063/): Security feature bypass in n/a (critical 9.0)
- [CVE-2018-6560](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-6560/): Security feature bypass in n/a (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2026-34079](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-34079/): Flatpak affected by arbitrary file deletion on the host filesystem (high 8.7)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-28101 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-28101 is a medium-severity vulnerability in flatpak, published on 16 Mar 2023. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-28101 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: flatpak. 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-2023-28101/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-28101/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-28101
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-28101
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-28101

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-28101/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.