dbcve.org
Debian LinuxOperating system · Debian

CVE-2023-26314

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-02-22
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
95/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges

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 · unedited
The mono package before 6.8.0.105+dfsg-3.3 for Debian allows arbitrary code execution because the application/x-ms-dos-executable MIME type is associated with an un-sandboxed Mono CLR interpreter.

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 confidence

The mono package for Debian versions before 6.8.0.105+dfsg-3.3 associates the application/x-ms-dos-executable MIME type (typically .exe files) with the Mono CLR interpreter without sandboxing. This allows attackers to execute arbitrary code by tricking a user into opening a malicious executable file that gets processed by the unsandboxed Mono runtime.

MitigationUpdate the mono package to version 6.8.0.105+dfsg-3.3 or later, or reconfigure the MIME type associations to prevent .exe files from being handled by the un-sandboxed Mono interpreter.

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
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 10.0
MonoApplication
Affected:= 5.18.0.240\+dfsg-3= 6.8.0.105\+dfsg-3

CVSS 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:3.1/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify mono package is installed
    Run 'dpkg -l | grep mono' or 'apt list --installed 2>/dev/null | grep -i mono' to see if the mono package is present on the system.
    Affected if mono packages are installed on the system
  2. Check installed mono version
    Run 'dpkg -l | grep mono' and compare the version number against the affected ranges: 5.18.0.240+dfsg-3 through 6.8.0.105+dfsg-3 (prior to 6.8.0.105+dfsg-3.3).
    Affected if the installed mono version falls within or below the affected version range
  3. Inspect MIME type associations for .exe files
    Run 'update-mime-database /usr/share/mime 2>/dev/null; grep -r 'application/x-ms-dos-executable' /usr/share/mime/' and check which application is assigned to handle this MIME type.
    Affected if the Mono runtime interpreter is listed as the handler for application/x-ms-dos-executable
  4. Check desktop file configuration for .exe handling
    Look in /usr/share/applications/ for .desktop files related to mono, or run 'xdg-mime query default application/x-ms-dos-executable' if xdg-utils is installed, to see what application opens .exe files.
    Affected if the default handler for .exe files is mono or a mono-related application without sandboxing enabled

A system is affected if Mono is installed with a version prior to 6.8.0.105+dfsg-3.3 and the application/x-ms-dos-executable MIME type is configured to open .exe files using the unsandboxed Mono interpreter.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update the mono package to version 6.8.0.105+dfsg-3.3 or later, or reconfigure the MIME type associations to prevent .exe files from being handled by the un-sandboxed Mono interpreter.

Recommended fix High confidence

mono 6.8.0.105+dfsg-3.3 or later for Debian 10

  1. Update the package repository index: apt-get update
  2. Upgrade the mono package to version 6.8.0.105+dfsg-3.3 or later: apt-get install mono-complete=6.8.0.105+dfsg-3.3 or apt-get upgrade mono
  3. Verify the installed version: mono --version

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Debian Linux Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,300
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-26314 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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