Flatpak: flatpak: denial of service via unsanitized keys in exported desktop entry / d-bus service files
Published Sep 28, 2026
3.6
LOWCVSS 3.1
EPSS 0.13%
Description
Flatpak passes through arbitrary vendor-extension keys unmodified when exporting an application's Desktop Entry (.desktop) and D-Bus Service (.service) files, instead of validating against an allowlist. A malicious Flatpak app can use this to cause denial of service (e.g. forced application restart loops) or to influence host D-Bus/systemd activation behavior beyond what the sandbox is intended to permit.
Affected products
Default status is the baseline for the product, each version can override it (e.g. patched versions marked unaffected).
| Vendor | Product | Default status | Versions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | affected |
| |||
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | affected |
| |||
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | affected |
| |||
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | affected |
|
No data.
No data.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
flatpak
Fix deferred
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
flatpak
Fix deferred
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
flatpak
Fix deferred
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
flatpak
Fix deferred
| Product | Package | State | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | flatpak | Fix deferred | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | flatpak | Fix deferred | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | flatpak | Fix deferred | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | flatpak | Fix deferred | n/a |
No package ranges for this CVE.
Remediation
Vendor solution
Only install applications from trusted sources.
Red Hat statement
Red Hat estimates the CVSSv3.1 vector of CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:L. Exploitation requires a victim to install and run a malicious Flatpak application (UI:R), after which the unsanitized exported Desktop Entry / D-Bus Service keys take effect automatically with no additional attacker privileges or access complexity (AV:L, AC:L, PR:N). Because the exported files can influence D-Bus/systemd activation behavior on the host session outside the flatpak sandbox, this is treated as a scope change (S:C). No confidentiality or integrity impact is implied by the primary reported effect (C:N, I:N); the impact is limited to availability, via forced application restart loops or disrupted service activation (A:L).
Red Hat mitigation
Only install applications from trusted sources.
Metrics
No CVSS v4.0 score for this CVE.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:L
No CVSS v3.0 score for this CVE.
No CVSS v2.0 score for this CVE.
This CVE is not in the KEV list.
CISA SSVC (Vulnrichment)
Stakeholder-Specific Vulnerability Categorization from CISA ADP.
Exploitation
NoneAutomatable
NoTechnical Impact
PartialDecision
n/aAssessed Sep 29, 2026 · SSVC 2.0.3
Estimated probability of exploitation in the wild in the next 30 days (FIRST EPSS). As of Oct 1, 2026.
Score over time
Not enough EPSS history yet for a chart. At least two recorded scores are needed.
Percentile over time
Not enough EPSS history yet for a chart. At least two recorded scores are needed.
References (5)
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-97027 vdb-entryx_refsource_REDHATVendor Advisory
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2542683 issue-trackingx_refsource_REDHATIssue Tracking
- https://github.com/flatpak/flatpak/security/advisories/GHSA-v64f-hrwr-j4vh
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-97027
- https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-97027
| Link | Providers | Tags |
|---|---|---|
| https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-97027 | vdb-entryx_refsource_REDHATVendor Advisory | |
| https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2542683 | issue-trackingx_refsource_REDHATIssue Tracking | |
| https://github.com/flatpak/flatpak/security/advisories/GHSA-v64f-hrwr-j4vh | ||
| https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-97027 | ||
| https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-97027 |
Change history (0)
No recorded changes yet.