Description
Fluxbox through 1.3.7 contains an OS command injection vulnerability in RootTheme::reconfigTheme() that allows attackers to execute commands via crafted style background values. Attackers can embed shell metacharacters in background pixmap paths, random directories, or gradient texture text, which are concatenated unescaped into an fbsetbg command run via $SHELL -c when the style loads.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| fluxbox | fluxbox | ≤ 1.3.7 | — |
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | fluxbox | No fix yet | — |
| Debian 13 | fluxbox | No fix yet | — |
| Debian 12 | fluxbox | No fix yet | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 26.10 | fluxbox | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | fluxbox | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | fluxbox | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | fluxbox | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | fluxbox | No fix yet | — |
Show 2 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | fluxbox | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | fluxbox | No fix yet | — |
References
- Pull Request #89 issue-tracking patch
- https://github.com/fluxbox/fluxbox product
- Fix commit 270bfbc patch
- RootTheme::reconfigTheme technical-description
- VulnCheck Advisory: Fluxbox through 1.3.7 OS Command Injection via Style Background Values third-party-advisory