High severity · published Mar 11, 2021
CVE-2021-21381
Flatpak is a system for building, distributing, and running sandboxed desktop applications on Linux
8.2
CVSS
1.5%
EPSS
No
On KEV
Description
Flatpak is a system for building, distributing, and running sandboxed desktop applications on Linux. In Flatpack since version 0.9.4 and before version 1.10.2 has a vulnerability in the "file forwarding" feature which can be used by an attacker to gain access to files that would not ordinarily be allowed by the app's permissions. By putting the special tokens `@@` and/or `@@u` in the Exec field of a Flatpak app's .desktop file, a malicious app publisher can trick flatpak into behaving as though the user had chosen to open a target file with their Flatpak app, which automatically makes that file available to the Flatpak app. This is fixed in version 1.10.2. A minimal solution is the first commit "`Disallow @@ and @@U usage in desktop files`". The follow-up commits "`dir: Reserve the whole @@ prefix`" and "`dir: Refuse to export .desktop files with suspicious uses of @@ tokens`" are recommended, but not strictly required. As a workaround, avoid installing Flatpak apps from untrusted sources, or check the contents of the exported `.desktop` files in `exports/share/applications/*.desktop` (typically `~/.local/share/flatpak/exports/share/applications/*.desktop` and `/var/lib/flatpak/exports/share/applications/*.desktop`) to make sure that literal filenames do not follow `@@` or `@@u`.
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None
Scope
Changed
Exploitation
Is it being used?
Exploit prediction (EPSS)1.5% · higher than 75% of CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo evidence yet
CISA KEVNot listed
Ransomware campaign useNot known
Affected products
Which versions
DL
Debian Linux · Debian
10.0 · source: NVD
FE
Fedora · Fedoraproject
33; 34 · source: NVD
FL
Flatpak · Flatpak
0.9.4 before 1.10.2 · source: NVD
References
NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-21381
CVE.org
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-21381
Patch
https://github.com/flatpak/flatpak/commit/8279c5818425b6812523e3805bbe242fb6a5d961
Patch
https://github.com/flatpak/flatpak/commit/a7401e638bf0c03102039e216ab1081922f140ae
Patch
https://github.com/flatpak/flatpak/commit/eb7946bb6248923d8c90fe9b84425fef97ae580d
Patch
https://github.com/flatpak/flatpak/pull/4156
Release Notes
https://github.com/flatpak/flatpak/releases/tag/1.10.2
Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/flatpak/flatpak/security/advisories/GHSA-xgh4-387p-hqpp
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