Atril PDF RCE via polyglot before 1.26.3 & 1.28.4
CVE-2026-46529 Published on June 10, 2026

PDF /GoToR action argv injection enables single-click RCE via --gtk-module dlopen
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.

NVD

Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2026-46529 can be exploited with local system access, requires user interaction. This vulnerability is considered to have a low attack complexity. Public availability of a proof of concept (POC) exploit exists for CVE-2026-46529. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to be very high.

Attack Vector:
LOCAL
Attack Complexity:
LOW
Privileges Required:
NONE
User Interaction:
REQUIRED
Scope:
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality Impact:
HIGH
Integrity Impact:
HIGH
Availability Impact:
HIGH

Weakness Types

What is a Command Injection Vulnerability?

The software constructs all or part of a command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended command when it is sent to a downstream component.

CVE-2026-46529 has been classified to as a Command Injection vulnerability or weakness.

What is an Argument Injection Vulnerability?

The software constructs a string for a command to executed by a separate component in another control sphere, but it does not properly delimit the intended arguments, options, or switches within that command string.

CVE-2026-46529 has been classified to as an Argument Injection vulnerability or weakness.

Inclusion of Functionality from Untrusted Control Sphere

The software imports, requires, or includes executable functionality (such as a library) from a source that is outside of the intended control sphere.


Products Associated with CVE-2026-46529

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Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
 
Red Hat Rhel Eus
 

Affected Versions

mate-desktop atril: Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 8): Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v.9.6): Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9): Red Hat Enterprise Linux CRB (v. 8): Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7:

Exploit Probability

EPSS
0.42%
Percentile
33.58%

EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) scores estimate the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. The percentile shows you how this score compares to all other vulnerabilities.