Flatpak is a Linux application sandboxing and distribution framework. Prior to versions 1.12.3 and 1.10.6, Flatpak doesn't properly validate that the permissions displayed to the user for an app at install time match the actual permissions granted to the app at runtime, in the case that there's a null byte in the metadata file of an app. Therefore apps can grant themselves permissions without the consent of the user. Flatpak shows permissions to the user during install by reading them from the "xa.metadata" key in the commit metadata. This cannot contain a null terminator, because it is an untrusted GVariant. Flatpak compares these permissions to the *actual* metadata, from the "metadata" file to ensure it wasn't lied to. However, the actual metadata contents are loaded in several places where they are read as simple C-style strings. That means that, if the metadata file includes a null terminator, only the content of the file from *before* the terminator gets compared to xa.metadata. Thus, any permissions that appear in the metadata file after a null terminator are applied at runtime but not shown to the user. So maliciously crafted apps can give themselves hidden permissions. Users who have Flatpaks installed from untrusted sources are at risk in case the Flatpak has a maliciously crafted metadata file, either initially or in an update. This issue is patched in versions 1.12.3 and 1.10.6. As a workaround, users can manually check the permissions of installed apps by checking the metadata file or the xa.metadata key on the commit metadata.
CVE-2021-43860
“—” beside the score: it is equal to NVD's CVSS score.
This high-severity CVE scores 8.2 under NVD CVSS v3. EPSS exploit probability: 1.3% (71st percentile of EPSS-scored CVEs). No GitHub Security Advisory CVSS is on record for this CVE.
- High severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet
A fix is available — apply it.
- CVSS v3
- 8.2
- EG Score
- 8.2HIGHmedium confidence
- EG Risk
- 37EG Risk 37/100
EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score. It fuses impact severity (EG Severity, the CVSS base score, never the KEV-floored or EPSS-lifted EG Score) with real-world exploitation and automatability, under weights EchelonGraph set by hand, so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner.
How it’s computed (value × EchelonGraph’s weight)Severity82% × 45%Impact severity (EG Severity): CVSS 8.2 of 10. Never the KEV-floored or EPSS-lifted EG Score.Exploitation1.3% × 40%FIRST EPSS: the 30-day exploitation probability when EchelonGraph scored this CVE.Automatability0% × 15%CISA's BOD 26-04 default: no one has published Automatable for this CVE, and CISA treats it as “no” for a CVE not in KEV.SSVC (CISA's decision table, applied by EchelonGraph): Track at low or medium mission impact; Track* at high (mission-essential systems).Exploitation none (no CISA value, KEV listing or exploit code on record) · Automatable no (CISA's BOD 26-04 default) · Technical impact total (CISA's BOD 26-04 default). EchelonGraph holds no SSVC assessment of this CVE from CISA: none of these inputs is from Vulnrichment. EchelonGraph applied CISA's decision table to them; CISA publishes SSVC inputs and the table, not a decision for each CVE.Action: A fix is available. Apply it within your standard update timelines. - EPSS PROB
- 1.3%
- EPSS %ILE
- 71st
- KEV
- Not listed
What the EG score is made of (scorer v4.0: the three questions the 0–10 score mixes, published apart · methodology)
The EG score (8.2): severity, escalated by confirmed exploitation. This CVE's 8.2 is its impact severity (EG Severity), not escalated.
- EG Severity
- 8.2 HIGHCVSS-B, impact only: no KEV listing, EPSS or EG-KEV tier raises it.NVD CVSS v3 · CVSS v3.0 or v3.1
- EG Likelihood
- 1.3% within 30 daysSource: FIRST EPSS (model v2026.06.15, score date 2026-10-20). FIRST's exploitation probability, not an EchelonGraph model.
- Confirmed exploitation
- None on record (CISA KEV, EG-KEV Tier 1)Reported apart from the likelihood: an observed fact, not a probability.
- EG Priority
- SSVC Track at medium mission impactTrack at low or medium mission impact; Track* at high (mission-essential systems).CISA BOD 26-04: 14 days if the affected system is publicly exposed; Fix on system upgrade if it is not.Each input and its source: the SSVC and BOD 26-04 blocks below.
SSVC (CISA's decision table, applied by EchelonGraph)Track at low or medium mission impact; Track* at high (mission-essential systems).
A fix is available. Apply it within your standard update timelines.
Exploitation none (no CISA value, KEV listing or exploit code on record) · Automatable no (CISA's BOD 26-04 default) · Technical impact total (CISA's BOD 26-04 default). EchelonGraph holds no SSVC assessment of this CVE from CISA: none of these inputs is from Vulnrichment. EchelonGraph applied CISA's decision table to them; CISA publishes SSVC inputs and the table, not a decision for each CVE. Mission impact is CISA's Mission & Well-being decision point, and only you can judge it. CISA's table makes it high when Mission Prevalence is Essential — the vulnerable component "directly provides capabilities that constitute at least one MEF for at least one entity" (MEF: mission essential function) — or when Public Well-Being Impact is Irreversible: "multiple fatalities are likely", the cyber-physical system "is likely lost or destroyed", "extreme or serious externalities" are imposed on other parties, or social systems such as elections or the financial grid "are destabilized and potentially collapse". CISA's decision table
BOD 26-04 (CISA's remediation timeline, Table 1)14 days if the affected system is publicly exposed; Fix on system upgrade if it is not.
In CISA KEV no (CISA's KEV catalog) · Automatable no (CISA's BOD 26-04 default) · Technical impact total (CISA's BOD 26-04 default). Where an input reads “CISA's BOD 26-04 default”, no one has published it for this CVE, and CISA's implementation guidance says: “If “Automatable” and “Technical Impact” information items about a CVE ID are not available and the CVE ID is not in the KEV Catalog, CISA will treat its values as “no” and “total,” respectively, until CISA or a third party provides metadata about the CVE ID. CISA will always provide the Vulnrichment data for a CVE ID listed in the KEV Catalog.” Whether your system is publicly exposed is yours to answer. BOD 26-04 binds US Federal Civilian Executive Branch agencies; for anyone else it is CISA's published timeline, a reference rather than an obligation. The directive · how EchelonGraph applies it
Published
January 12, 2022
Last Modified
November 21, 2024
Advisory Details (10)
Auto-updated Sep 7, 2026Flatpak: Multiple Vulnerabilities (GLSA 202312-12) — Gentoo security
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202312-12[SECURITY] Fedora 35 Update: flatpak-1.12.3-1.fc35 - package-announce - Fedora mailing-lists
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/APFTBYGJJVJPFVHRXUW5PII5XOAFI4KH/CVE-2021-43860: Permissions granted to applications can be hidden from the user at install time · Advisory · flatpak/flatpak · GitHub
https://github.com/flatpak/flatpak/security/advisories/GHSA-qpjc-vq3c-572jRelease 1.12.3
Patch available: flatpak/flatpak 1.12.3
https://github.com/flatpak/flatpak/releases/tag/1.12.3Release 1.10.6
Patch available: flatpak/flatpak 1.10.6
https://github.com/flatpak/flatpak/releases/tag/1.10.6commit d9a8f9d8ccc0 (flatpak/flatpak)
Patch available: flatpak/flatpak 1.14.6 (contains commit d9a8f9d8ccc0)
https://github.com/flatpak/flatpak/commit/d9a8f9d8ccc0b7c1135d0ecde006a75d25f66aeecommit ba818f504c92 (flatpak/flatpak)
Patch available: flatpak/flatpak 1.14.6 (contains commit ba818f504c92)
https://github.com/flatpak/flatpak/commit/ba818f504c926baaf6e362be8159cfacf994310ecommit 93357d357119 (flatpak/flatpak)
Patch available: flatpak/flatpak 1.14.6 (contains commit 93357d357119)
https://github.com/flatpak/flatpak/commit/93357d357119093804df05acc32ff335839c6451commit 65cbfac982cb (flatpak/flatpak)
Patch available: flatpak/flatpak 1.14.6 (contains commit 65cbfac982cb)
https://github.com/flatpak/flatpak/commit/65cbfac982cb1c83993a9e19aa424daee8e9f042commit 54ec1a482dfc (flatpak/flatpak)
Patch available: flatpak/flatpak 1.14.6 (contains commit 54ec1a482dfc)
https://github.com/flatpak/flatpak/commit/54ec1a482dfc668127eaae57f135e6a8e0bc52daVendor Advisories for CVE-2021-43860(1)
These vendors published their own advisory mentioning this CVE — often with vendor-specific remediation steps + affected product lists not in NVD.
Patch Availability(1)
| Vendor / Ecosystem | Fix (by version range) / Patch | Released | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| redhat | flatpak-0:1.8.7-1.el8 | 2022-05-10 | redhat |
Patches are aggregated from vendor advisories (Red Hat, Microsoft, Cisco, GitHub) and package ecosystems (OSV, GHSA). Multiple rows for the same upstream release have been deduplicated.
Affected Packages
(4 across 4 ecosystems)
Debian:11(1)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fix by version range | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| flatpak | 1.10.2-3 ... 1.10.7-0+deb11u1~bpo10+1 (6 versions) |
| — |
Debian:12(1)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fix by version range | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| flatpak | — |
| — |
Debian:13(1)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fix by version range | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| flatpak | — |
| — |
Debian:14(1)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fix by version range | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| flatpak | — |
| — |
Weakness Classification(2)
MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.
Data Freshness Timeline
(refreshed 11× in last 7d / 38× in last 30d)
Each row is a time one of our pipelines fetched, updated or re-scored this CVE. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. An arrow marks a change the record states ("CVSS v3 → 9.1"); EPSS and GHSA rows show the values recorded at that time, not what changed (EPSS values are rounded; hover one for the exact figures). Most recent first.
Showing the most recent 95 of 202 refreshes on record for this CVE.
A repeat, a row identical to one the same pipeline wrote less than 10 seconds earlier, is not a separate refresh and is not counted. 5 repeat rows among the latest 100 are merged into the row they repeat. The 107 oldest rows on record are not shown and were not checked, so the counts can still include repeats.
- 2026-10-23 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 71st percentile
- 2026-10-22 16:29 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 71st percentile
- 2026-10-21 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 71st percentile
- 2026-10-21 08:49 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-10-21 08:49 UTCVendor advisory
- 2026-10-20 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 70th percentile
- 2026-10-19 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 70th percentile
- 2026-10-18 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 70th percentile
- 2026-10-18 08:52 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-10-17 16:29 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 70th percentile
- 2026-10-17 09:55 UTCOSV refresh
- 2026-10-16 16:34 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 70th percentile
- 2026-10-15 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 70th percentile
- 2026-10-14 16:29 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 70th percentile
- 2026-10-13 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 70th percentile
- 2026-10-12 19:07 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-10-12 16:30 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 70th percentile
- 2026-10-11 23:33 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-10-11 13:44 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 70th percentile
- 2026-10-10 19:56 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 70th percentile
- 2026-10-09 20:04 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 70th percentile
- 2026-10-08 16:40 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 70th percentile
- 2026-10-07 23:45 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 70th percentile
- 2026-10-06 15:14 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 70th percentile
- 2026-10-05 17:40 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 70th percentile
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- 2026-10-04 23:19 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 70th percentile
- 2026-10-03 14:22 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 70th percentile
- 2026-10-02 16:23 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 70th percentile
- 2026-10-01 19:46 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 70th percentile
- 2026-09-30 15:43 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-09-30 15:00 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 70th percentile
- 2026-09-29 15:15 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 70th percentile
- 2026-09-28 13:47 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 70th percentile
- 2026-09-27 13:41 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 70th percentile
- 2026-09-26 15:54 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 70th percentile
- 2026-09-26 00:21 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 70th percentile
- 2026-09-25 08:06 UTCOSV refresh
- 2026-09-24 14:00 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 70th percentile
- 2026-09-23 13:44 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 70th percentile
- 2026-09-22 14:44 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 70th percentile
- 2026-09-21 20:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 69th percentile
- 2026-09-19 15:38 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 70th percentile
- 2026-09-18 19:23 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 70th percentile
- 2026-09-17 19:23 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 70th percentile
- 2026-09-16 14:05 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 70th percentile
- 2026-09-15 03:06 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 69th percentile
- 2026-09-12 14:57 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 69th percentile
- 2026-09-11 14:49 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 69th percentile
- 2026-09-11 09:33 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 69th percentile
- 2026-09-08 21:56 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 69th percentile
- 2026-09-07 15:58 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 69th percentile
- 2026-09-06 13:45 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 69th percentile
- 2026-09-05 23:55 UTCOSV refresh
- 2026-09-05 15:25 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 69th percentile
- 2026-09-04 13:57 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 69th percentile
- 2026-09-04 05:03 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 69th percentile
- 2026-09-02 14:09 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 69th percentile
- 2026-09-01 13:50 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 69th percentile
- 2026-09-01 03:33 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 69th percentile
- 2026-08-30 19:14 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 69th percentile
- 2026-08-30 01:19 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 69th percentile
- 2026-08-28 21:37 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 68th percentile
- 2026-08-27 14:22 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 69th percentile
- 2026-08-26 14:43 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 69th percentile
- 2026-08-25 13:46 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 69th percentile
- 2026-08-24 14:13 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 69th percentile
- 2026-08-23 00:16 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 69th percentile
- 2026-08-21 23:46 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 69th percentile
- 2026-08-20 22:52 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 69th percentile
- 2026-08-19 17:01 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 69th percentile
- 2026-08-19 10:59 UTCOSV refresh
- 2026-08-18 13:45 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 69th percentile
- 2026-08-17 13:44 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 69th percentile
- 2026-08-16 14:53 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 69th percentile
- 2026-08-16 02:11 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 69th percentile
- 2026-08-15 01:27 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 68th percentile
- 2026-08-13 21:57 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 68th percentile
- 2026-08-12 13:48 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 68th percentile
- 2026-08-11 13:38 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 68th percentile
- 2026-08-09 13:44 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 68th percentile
- 2026-08-08 16:33 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 68th percentile
- 2026-08-07 16:24 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 68th percentile
- 2026-08-06 13:44 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 68th percentile
- 2026-08-05 19:14 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 68th percentile
- 2026-08-04 10:34 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 68th percentile
- 2026-08-04 06:27 UTCOSV refresh
- 2026-08-03 10:33 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 68th percentile
- 2026-08-02 02:24 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 68th percentile
- 2026-08-01 04:13 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 68th percentile
- 2026-07-30 16:25 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 68th percentile
- 2026-07-30 01:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 68th percentile
- 2026-07-28 15:33 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 68th percentile
- 2026-07-26 14:52 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 68th percentile
- 2026-07-25 14:15 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 68th percentile
- 2026-07-24 14:15 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 1.3% · 68th percentile
Related CVEs(same product + same CWE)
Same product
10 shownDebian:11:flatpak
Frequently asked(5)
What is CVE-2021-43860?
When was the CVE record for CVE-2021-43860 published?
Is CVE-2021-43860 actively exploited?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-43860?
How do I remediate CVE-2021-43860?
Dependency Blast Radius
See which npm, PyPI, Go, and Maven packages are affected by CVE-2021-43860
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