Description
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.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| mate-desktop | atril | < 1.26.3, >= 1.27.0, < 1.28.4 | — |
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 | atril | 1.28.4-1 | — |
| Debian 14 | evince-gtk3 | 48.4+dfsg-1 | — |
| Debian 14 | papers | 49.3-3 | — |
| Debian 13 | atril | 1.26.2-4+deb13u1 | — |
| Debian 13 | evince | 48.1-3+deb13u1 | — |
| Debian 13 | papers | No fix yet | — |
| Debian 12 | atril | 1.26.0-2+deb12u4 | — |
| Debian 12 | evince | 43.1-2+deb12u1 | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 26.10 | evince-gtk3 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | evince | 49~alpha-2ubuntu2.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | evince-gtk3 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | papers | 50.1-0ubuntu1.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 25.10 | atril | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 25.10 | evince | 48.1-3ubuntu2.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 25.10 | papers | 48.0-1ubuntu1.25.10.4 | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | evince | 46.3.1-0ubuntu1.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | evince | 42.3-0ubuntu3.2 | — |
Show 9 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | evince | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | evince | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | evince | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 26.04 LTS | atril | 1.28.2-1ubuntu0.1~esm1 | USN-8839-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro 24.04 LTS | atril | 1.26.2-3ubuntu0.1~esm1 | USN-8839-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro 22.04 LTS | atril | 1.26.0-1ubuntu1.2+esm1 | USN-8839-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTS | atril | 1.24.0-1ubuntu0.2+esm1 | USN-8839-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTS | atril | 1.20.1-2ubuntu2+esm3 | USN-8839-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS | atril | 1.12.2-1ubuntu0.3+esm1 | USN-8839-1 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 9 | evince +4 | 40.5-4.el9_8.1 | RHSA-2026:27819 |
| RHEL 8 | evince +4 | 3.28.4-17.el8_10 | RHSA-2026:28998 |
Show 10 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 9.6 EUS | evince +4 | 40.5-2.el9_6.1 | RHSA-2026:33169 |
| RHEL 9.4 E4S | evince +4 | 40.5-2.el9_4.1 | RHSA-2026:33416 |
| RHEL 9.2 E4S | evince +4 | 40.5-2.el9_2.1 | RHSA-2026:39115 |
| RHEL 8.8 TUS | evince +3 | 3.28.4-16.el8_8.1 | RHSA-2026:42692 |
| RHEL 8.8 E4S | evince +3 | 3.28.4-16.el8_8.1 | RHSA-2026:42692 |
| RHEL 8.6 EUS Long Life | evince +3 | 3.28.4-16.el8_6.1 | RHSA-2026:46467 |
| RHEL 8.6 AUS | evince +3 | 3.28.4-16.el8_6.1 | RHSA-2026:46467 |
| RHEL 8.4 EUS Long Life | evince +3 | 3.28.4-11.el8_4.1 | RHSA-2026:43398 |
| RHEL 8.4 AUS | evince +3 | 3.28.4-11.el8_4.1 | RHSA-2026:43398 |
| RHEL 7 ELS | evince +5 | 3.28.2-11.el7_9 | RHSA-2026:41904 |
AlmaLinux
Errata ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| AlmaLinux 9 | evince +4 | 40.5-4.el9_8.1 | ALSA-2026:27819 |
| AlmaLinux 8 | evince +4 | 3.28.4-17.el8_10 | ALSA-2026:28998 |
Rocky Linux
Errata ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Linux 9 | evince | 40.5-4.el9_8.1 | RLSA-2026:27819 |
| Rocky Linux 8 | evince | 3.28.4-17.el8_10 | RLSA-2026:28998 |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES for SAP 16.0 | papers | 48.10-160000.1.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:22182-1 |
| SLES 16.0 | papers | 48.10-160000.1.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:22182-1 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | papers | 50.1-2.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:10853-1 |
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | xreader | 4.6.5-1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:11163-1 |
| openSUSE Leap 16.0 | papers | 48.10-160000.1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:21106-1 |
Alpine
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine v3.24 | atril | 1.28.0-r3 | — |
| Alpine v3.24 | evince | 48.4-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.23 | atril | 1.28.0-r2 | — |
| Alpine v3.23 | evince | 48.4-r0 | — |
Amazon Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Linux 2023 | papers +5 | 47.0-12.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1782 |
| Amazon Linux 2 | evince +5 | 3.28.2-10.amzn2.0.1 | ALAS2-2026-3354 |
Oracle Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oracle Linux 9 | evince +4 | 40.5-4.el9_8.1 | ELSA-2026-27819 |
| Oracle Linux 8 | evince +4 | 3.28.4-17.el8_10 | ELSA-2026-28998 |
| Oracle Linux 7 | evince +5 | 3.28.2-10.0.1.el7 | ELSA-2026-41904 |
Public exploits
Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.
GitHub 1 repository
-
N1et/CVE-2026-46529 ★ 13 · May 16, 2026
Evince/xreader/Atril RCE exploit to CVE-2026-46529
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
Advisories 25
- WID-SEC-2026-2455 Oracle Solaris Drittanbieterkomponenten: Mehrere Schwachstellen BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Nov 12, 2026
- ALSA-2026:27819 Important: evince security update AlmaLinux Security Advisories · Oct 29, 2026
- ALSA-2026:28998 Important: evince security update AlmaLinux Security Advisories · Oct 29, 2026
- USN-8839-1 atril vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Sep 28, 2026
- WID-SEC-2026-1641 Evince: Schwachstelle ermöglicht Codeausführung BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Aug 10, 2026
- ELSA-2026-41904 Important: evince security update (Oracle Linux 7) Oracle Linux Security Advisories (ELSA) · Aug 10, 2026
- RHSA-2026:46467 Red Hat Security Advisory: evince security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jul 28, 2026
- RHSA-2026:43398 Red Hat Security Advisory: evince security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jul 28, 2026
- RHSA-2026:42692 Red Hat Security Advisory: evince security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jul 28, 2026
- RHSA-2026:41904 Red Hat Security Advisory: evince security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jul 28, 2026
- RHSA-2026:39115 Red Hat Security Advisory: evince security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jul 28, 2026
- RHSA-2026:33416 Red Hat Security Advisory: evince security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jul 28, 2026
- RHSA-2026:33169 Red Hat Security Advisory: evince security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jul 28, 2026
- RHSA-2026:28998 Red Hat Security Advisory: evince security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jul 28, 2026
- RHSA-2026:27819 Red Hat Security Advisory: evince security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jul 28, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2026:11163-1 libxreaderdocument3-4.6.5-1.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Jul 1, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2026:21106-1 Security update for papers SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Jun 30, 2026
- RLSA-2026:28998 Important: evince security update Rocky Linux Security Advisories · Jun 25, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:22182-1 Security update for papers SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Jun 24, 2026
- RLSA-2026:27819 Important: evince security update Rocky Linux Security Advisories · Jun 24, 2026
- ELSA-2026-28998 Important: evince security update (Oracle Linux 8) Oracle Linux Security Advisories (ELSA) · Jun 24, 2026
- ELSA-2026-27819 Important: evince security update (Oracle Linux 9) Oracle Linux Security Advisories (ELSA) · Jun 23, 2026
- ALAS2-2026-3354 Important: evince security update (Amazon Linux 2) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Jun 22, 2026
- ALAS2023-2026-1782 Important: papers security update (Amazon Linux 2023) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Jun 8, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2026:10853-1 libppsdocument4_0-6-50.1-2.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · May 25, 2026