CVE-2017-17529
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 · uneditedaf/util/xp/ut_go_file.cpp in AbiWord 3.0.2-2 does not validate strings before launching the program specified by the BROWSER environment variable, which might allow remote attackers to conduct argument-injection attacks via a crafted URL.
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 confidenceAbiWord 3.0.2-2 contains an argument injection vulnerability in af/util/xp/ut_go_file.cpp. The code uses the BROWSER environment variable to determine which browser to launch but fails to validate or sanitize the URL parameter before passing it to the system call, allowing remote attackers to inject arbitrary arguments via a crafted URL.
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 data= 3.0.2-2CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 AbiWord is installedRun 'abiword --version' or check your package manager for installed AbiWord packagesAffected if AbiWord is not installed - not vulnerable. If installed, continue to version check.
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Determine installed AbiWord versionRun 'abiword --version' and note the version number displayedAffected if Version is exactly 3.0.2-2 - vulnerable. Versions may vary; compare against the affected range.
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Check if the vulnerable file existsLocate ut_go_file.cpp in the AbiWord source or installed files, typically in af/util/xp/ or the source tree under af/util/xp/Affected if File exists and contains code using the BROWSER environment variable without URL validation - potentially vulnerable.
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Inspect BROWSER environment variable usageRun 'env | grep BROWSER' to see if BROWSER is set, and trace code path in ut_go_file.cpp where it executes browser commandsAffected if BROWSER variable is set and ut_go_file.cpp passes URLs to system calls without sanitization - vulnerable to argument injection.
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Verify URL handling in the code pathExamine the function in ut_go_file.cpp that handles URL parameters and check if it validates or sanitizes the URL before passing to the browser commandAffected if URL parameter is passed directly to system call without validation - vulnerable to crafted URL injection.
You are affected if AbiWord version 3.0.2-2 is installed and the application uses the BROWSER environment variable to open URLs without validating the URL parameter, allowing arbitrary argument injection via crafted URLs.
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 dataUpgrade to a patched version of AbiWord that properly validates URLs before launching the browser, or implement input sanitization to prevent argument injection in the ut_go_file.cpp code path.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-17529 — 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-2017-17529 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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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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