CVE-2017-17535
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 · uneditedlib/gui.py in Bob Hepple gjots2 2.4.1 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 · moderate confidenceThe gjots2 application (lib/gui.py v2.4.1) uses the BROWSER environment variable to determine which browser to launch when opening URLs without validating or sanitizing its contents. An attacker who can influence the BROWSER environment variable or craft a malicious URL can inject arbitrary arguments into the browser command, potentially leading to unexpected browser behavior or further exploitation.
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= 2.4.1CVSS 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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Check if gjots2 is installedRun 'gjots2 --version' or check your package manager for gjots2 installationAffected if gjots2 is installed and version 2.4.1 is returned
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Locate the gjots2 lib/gui.py fileFind the gui.py file in your gjots2 installation directory (commonly in /usr/lib/python*/site-packages/gjots2/ or similar)Affected if The file exists and contains code that references the BROWSER environment variable
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Verify the vulnerable code patternSearch the gui.py file for patterns like 'os.environ["BROWSER"]' or 'BROWSER' being passed to subprocess functions without validationAffected if Code uses BROWSER env var directly in subprocess calls without sanitization
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Check BROWSER environment variableRun 'echo $BROWSER' in your shell to see if the variable is setAffected if The BROWSER environment variable is set to any value (especially to user-controlled or untrusted input)
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Test URL opening functionalityOpen gjots2 and attempt to open an external URL (if such a feature exists in the application)Affected if The application can trigger browser launching through external URL links
You are affected if gjots2 version 2.4.1 is installed, the vulnerable gui.py code uses BROWSER env var unsafely, and the BROWSER variable is set to a value that could be controlled by an attacker.
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 dataValidate and sanitize the BROWSER environment variable before use, or use a whitelist of allowed browser executables with hardcoded safe argument sets instead of directly passing user-controlled input to subprocess execution.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-17535 — 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-2017-17535 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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