Flatpak: flatpak: unprivileged active user can bypass anti-downgrade checks for system apps/runtimes
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2026-96281 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | redhat |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2026-09-27 21:17:04 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-09-30 21:17:18 UTC |
| Description | On a multi-user system, a user with an active local login session could downgrade a system-wide Flatpak app to an older version by removing the app's remote ref via the unprivileged system-helper RemoveLocalRef method, causing the anti-downgrade check to fail to find a reference date. A malicious local user could use this to expose other users of the same system to an app version with unfixed vulnerabilities. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v3.1 6.2 MEDIUM from [email protected]
CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS: 0.001730000 probability, percentile 0.060160000 (date 2026-10-01)
Problem Types: CWE-284 | CWE-284 Improper Access Control
| Version | Source | Type | Score | Severity | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | [email protected] | Secondary | 6.2 | MEDIUM | CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| 3.1 | CNA | CVSS | 6.2 | MEDIUM | CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
CVSS v3.1 Breakdown
Attack Vector
PhysicalAttack Complexity
HighPrivileges Required
LowUser Interaction
RequiredScope
UnchangedConfidentiality
HighIntegrity
HighAvailability
HighCVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Vendor Declared Affected Products
| Source | Vendor | Product | Version | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNA | Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Not specified | Not specified |
| CNA | Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Not specified | Not specified |
| CNA | Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | Not specified | Not specified |
| CNA | Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Not specified | Not specified |
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi | [email protected] | bugzilla.redhat.com | |
| access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-96281 | [email protected] | access.redhat.com | |
| github.com/flatpak/flatpak/security/advisories/GHSA-q4gr-vc25-57m5 | [email protected] | github.com | |
| CVE Program record | CVE.ORG | www.cve.org | canonical |
| NVD vulnerability detail | NVD | nvd.nist.gov | canonical, analysis |
Vendor Comments And Credit
Discovery Credit
CNA: Upstream acknowledges Vivek Parikh (BreachX Zero Day Labs) as the original reporter. (en)
Additional Advisory Data
| Source | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|
| CNA | 2026-08-11T00:00:00.000Z | Reported to Red Hat. |
| CNA | 2026-08-11T00:00:00.000Z | Made public. |
Workarounds
CNA: Ensure that Flatpak apps installed system-wide are fully updated before running them.
There are currently no legacy QID mappings associated with this CVE.