CVE-2016-1000033 in Valid
Summary
by MITRE
Shotwell version 0.22.0 (and possibly other versions) is vulnerable to a TLS/SSL certification validation flaw resulting in a potential for man in the middle attacks.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/29/2026
The vulnerability in Shotwell version 0.22.0 represents a critical security weakness in the application's handling of secure communications, specifically within its implementation of Transport Layer Security protocols. This flaw affects the certificate validation process that occurs when Shotwell establishes encrypted connections to remote services or servers during file synchronization, cloud backup operations, or network-based photo management functions. The vulnerability stems from improper validation of SSL/TLS certificates which allows malicious actors to potentially intercept and manipulate data transmitted between the application and its remote endpoints.
This technical flaw creates a significant risk for man-in-the-middle attacks as described in the ATT&CK framework under tactic T1046 Network Service Scanning and technique T1571 Multi-hop Proxy. The vulnerability essentially undermines the cryptographic security assurances that TLS/SSL protocols are designed to provide, enabling attackers with network access to perform certificate spoofing operations against Shotwell's connection establishment process. The flaw appears to be related to how the application validates certificate chains or handles certificate trust verification, potentially allowing the acceptance of self-signed certificates, expired certificates, or certificates issued by untrusted Certificate Authorities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception to encompass potential complete system compromise when Shotwell is used in environments where sensitive photo data or personal information is managed. Attackers could exploit this weakness to gain access to user photo libraries, potentially intercept authentication credentials during cloud synchronization, or manipulate photo metadata and file contents during transmission. The vulnerability affects not only individual users but also organizations that rely on Shotwell for photo management and backup operations, particularly in scenarios where network traffic is not adequately monitored or protected by additional security measures.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with CWE-295 Certificate Validation Issues, which specifically addresses problems in certificate validation processes that can result in trust failures. Organizations using Shotwell 0.22.0 and potentially other affected versions should immediately implement mitigation strategies including updating to patched versions of the application, implementing network-level monitoring for suspicious certificate behavior, and considering alternative photo management solutions with more robust security implementations. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper certificate pinning mechanisms and the need for applications to maintain up-to-date trust stores that align with industry best practices established by standards such as NIST SP 800-57 and ISO/IEC 15408 Common Criteria.