Flatpak: Sandbox escape

Background

Flatpak is a Linux application sandboxing and distribution framework.

Description

A bug was discovered in the flatpak-portal service that can allow sandboxed applications to execute arbitrary code on the host system (a sandbox escape).

Impact

A remote attacker could entice a user to open a specially crafted Flatpak app possibly resulting in execution of arbitrary code with the privileges of the process or a Denial of Service condition.

Workaround

As a workaround, this vulnerability can be mitigated by preventing the flatpak-portal service from starting, but that mitigation will prevent many Flatpak apps from working correctly. It is highly recommended to upgrade.

Resolution

All Flatpak users should upgrade to the latest version:

 # emerge --sync
 # emerge --ask --oneshot --verbose ">=sys-apps/flatpak-1.10.0"