CVE-2009-0317
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedUntrusted search path vulnerability in the Python language bindings for Nautilus (nautilus-python) allows local users to execute arbitrary code via a Trojan horse Python file in the current working directory, related to a vulnerability in the PySys_SetArgv function (CVE-2008-5983).
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidencenautilus-python contains an untrusted search path vulnerability where PySys_SetArgv is called in a way that adds the current working directory to Python's sys.path. This allows local users to place a malicious Python file (e.g., os.py, sys.py) in a directory and achieve arbitrary code execution when a user runs nautilus-python from that directory.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE dataall versionsCVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- M
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify nautilus-python is installedCheck for the nautilus-python package using your system's package manager (e.g., dpkg -l nautilus-python, rpm -qa | grep nautilus-python, or pip list if installed via pip)Affected if nautilus-python is present on the system - all versions are affected by this vulnerability
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Confirm the extension is loadable by NautilusInspect whether Nautilus can load Python extensions by checking if the nautilus-python module exists in the Python path or extension directories (typically /usr/lib/nautilus/ or ~/.local/share/nautilus/python-extensions/)Affected if Python extension support is enabled in Nautilus and nautilus-python is accessible to the running user
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Identify if vulnerable PySys_SetArgv usage existsExamine the nautilus-python source code or binary for calls to PySys_SetArgv that do not use the safe variant (modern fixed versions typically use PySys_SetArgvEx with sys.path explicitly managed)Affected if The code contains PySys_SetArgv calls that automatically add the current working directory to sys.path
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Check for writable directories where Nautilus could be runIdentify directories writable by untrusted users where a user might invoke Nautilus or nautilus-python commands (check directory permissions with ls -la and look for world-writable or group-writable directories)Affected if Untrusted users can write to directories from which Nautilus operations might be initiated, allowing them to place malicious os.py or sys.py files
A user is affected if nautilus-python is installed and the current working directory can be controlled by untrusted users to inject malicious Python modules into sys.path.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataEnsure nautilus-python is not run from directories writable by untrusted users; apply vendor patches that fix PySys_SetArgv to use a safe variant that doesn't add the current directory to sys.path.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2009-0317 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2009-0317 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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