Executive brief
A security flaw in firewalld, a common tool used to manage network security on Linux systems, allows a local user without administrative privileges to change firewall settings. This could allow an unauthorized person to bypass network protections or modify security policies on a shared computer or server. The issue specifically affects systems using the 'desktop' profile where certain security checks are not strictly enforced.
Technical details
A vulnerability exists in firewalld versions up to 2.4.0 where two runtime D-Bus setters, 'setZoneSettings2' and 'setPolicySettings', are incorrectly guarded by the PK_ACTION_CONFIG_INFO permission instead of a more restrictive administrative action. On systems where the default desktop policy is active, this allows a local unprivileged user to bypass authentication requirements. An attacker can exploit this to modify the active firewall configuration, potentially opening ports or changing security policies. The issue has been addressed in Debian 11 via version 0.9.3-2+deb11u1 and identified in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.0.
Affected products
- firewalld firewalld <= 2.4.0
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.0
- Debian Debian Linux 11.0 (bullseye)
Timeline
- 2026-03-27: disclosed: Initial report and CVE assignment
- 2026-03-27: advisory: Red Hat published initial vulnerability details
- 2026-05-15: patched: Debian released security update DLA-4585-1 for Debian 11 bullseye