CVE-2026-96281: Improper Access Control in Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
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.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
On multi-user Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 systems, a local user with an active session can exploit improper access control in the system-helper RemoveLocalRef method to remove a Flatpak app's remote reference. This action causes the anti-downgrade mechanism to fail in detecting the app version's reference date, enabling the user to downgrade the app to an older, potentially vulnerable version. This vulnerability affects system-wide Flatpak apps and can expose other users on the same system to security risks associated with older app versions.
Potential Impact
A malicious local user can downgrade system-wide Flatpak applications to older versions with known vulnerabilities, potentially compromising the security of other users on the same system. This could lead to exposure to unfixed vulnerabilities in the downgraded app versions.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the Red Hat advisory at https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-96281 for current remediation guidance.
CVE-2026-96281: Improper Access Control in Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
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.
CVSS v3.1
Score 6.2medium
Affected software
Red Hat
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
Red Hat
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
Red Hat
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
Red Hat
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
On multi-user Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 systems, a local user with an active session can exploit improper access control in the system-helper RemoveLocalRef method to remove a Flatpak app's remote reference. This action causes the anti-downgrade mechanism to fail in detecting the app version's reference date, enabling the user to downgrade the app to an older, potentially vulnerable version. This vulnerability affects system-wide Flatpak apps and can expose other users on the same system to security risks associated with older app versions.
Potential Impact
A malicious local user can downgrade system-wide Flatpak applications to older versions with known vulnerabilities, potentially compromising the security of other users on the same system. This could lead to exposure to unfixed vulnerabilities in the downgraded app versions.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the Red Hat advisory at https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-96281 for current remediation guidance.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- redhat
- Date Reserved
- 2026-09-22T20:43:45.571Z
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Vendor Advisory Urls
- [{"url":"https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-96281","vendor":"Red Hat"}]
Threat ID: 6ab98494f7a7c541067b9765
Added to database: 09/27/2026, 21:03:16 UTC
Last enriched: 09/27/2026, 21:18:28 UTC
Last updated: 09/28/2026, 01:57:30 UTC
Views: 11
Community Reviews
0 reviewsCrowdsource mitigation strategies, share intel context, and vote on the most helpful responses. Sign in to add your voice and help keep defenders ahead.
Want to contribute mitigation steps or threat intel context? Sign in or create an account to join the community discussion.
Actions
Updates to AI analysis require Pro Console access. Upgrade inside Console → Billing.
Need more coverage?
Upgrade to Pro Console for AI refresh and higher limits.
For incident response and remediation, OffSeq services can help resolve threats faster.
Latest Threats
Check if your credentials are on the dark web
Instant breach scanning across billions of leaked records. Free tier available.