Docker DesktopApplication · Docker
CVE-2023-0628
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 · uneditedDocker Desktop before 4.17.0 allows an attacker to execute an arbitrary command inside a Dev Environments container during initialization by tricking a user to open a crafted malicious docker-desktop:// 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 confidenceDocker Desktop before 4.17.0 contains a URL handler vulnerability in the Dev Environments feature. By tricking a user into opening a specially crafted docker-desktop:// URL, an attacker can execute arbitrary commands inside a Dev Environments container during its initialization phase.
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
Docker DesktopApplication
< 4.17.0CVSS 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
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/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 Docker Desktop versionOpen Docker Desktop and navigate to the Docker menu > About Docker Desktop, or run 'docker version' in a terminal to see the client and server versionsAffected if The version displayed is below 4.17.0
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Verify Dev Environments feature statusOpen Docker Desktop and check if Dev Environments is enabled or visible in the left sidebar. If using CLI, check for dev environments-related configuration files in the Docker config directoryAffected if Dev Environments feature is present and enabled on the system
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Inspect URL handler registrationCheck system registry (Windows) or launch services plist (macOS) for docker-desktop:// URL scheme handlers. On Windows: check HKCU\Software\Classes\docker-desktop. On macOS: check ~/Library/Preferences/com.docker.docker.plistAffected if The docker-desktop:// URL handler is registered and accessible to trigger via malicious links
You are affected if Docker Desktop version is below 4.17.0 AND the Dev Environments feature is enabled, allowing the malicious URL handler to execute commands during container initialization.
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.
dbcve · scoped4.17.0
Upgrade Docker Desktop to version 4.17.0 or later to patch the malicious URL handler vulnerability in Dev Environments.
Docker Desktop 4.17.0
- Check current Docker Desktop version by clicking the Docker icon in the system tray and selecting 'About Docker Desktop'
- Navigate to the Docker Desktop download page at https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop/
- Download Docker Desktop version 4.17.0 or later for your operating system
- Close any running Docker Desktop instance
- Run the downloaded installer and follow the prompts to upgrade
- After installation, verify the version by checking 'About Docker Desktop' confirms version 4.17.0 or higher
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Docker Desktop
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,376.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-0628 — 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-2023-0628 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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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data