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High

Security advisory

Type: advisorySources: OSVCVE: CVE-2020-5291

Bubblewrap (bwrap) before version 0.4.1, if installed in setuid mode and the kernel supports unprivileged user namespaces, then the `bwrap --userns2` option can be used to make the setuid process keep running as root while being traceable. This can in turn be used to gain root permissions. Note that this only affects the combination of bubblewrap in setuid mode (which is typically used when unprivileged user namespaces are not supported) and the support of unprivileged user namespaces. Known to be affected are: * Debian testing/unstable, if unprivileged user namespaces enabled (not default) * Debian buster-backports, if unprivileged user namespaces enabled (not default) * Arch if using `linux-hardened`, if unprivileged user namespaces enabled (not default) * Centos 7 flatpak COPR, if unprivileged user namespaces enabled (not default) This has been fixed in the 0.4.1 release, and all affected users should update.

Products
Not specified
Affected versions
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Fixed versions
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CVEs
CVE-2020-5291
Confirmed fixed CVEs
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Updated in this feed
31 Oct 2026, 11:13 UTC · Revision 1

Source evidence

CVE-2020-5291

core-osv · Original source

Published 31 Mar 2020, 18:15 UTC

Bubblewrap (bwrap) before version 0.4.1, if installed in setuid mode and the kernel supports unprivileged user namespaces, then the `bwrap --userns2` option can be used to make the setuid process keep running as root while being traceable. This can in turn be used to gain root permissions. Note that this only affects the combination of bubblewrap in setuid mode (which is typically used when unprivileged user namespaces are not supported) and the support of unprivileged user namespaces. Known to be affected are: * Debian testing/unstable, if unprivileged user namespaces enabled (not default) * Debian buster-backports, if unprivileged user namespaces enabled (not default) * Arch if using `linux-hardened`, if unprivileged user namespaces enabled (not default) * Centos 7 flatpak COPR, if unprivileged user namespaces enabled (not default) This has been fixed in the 0.4.1 release, and all affected users should update.

osv:CVE-2020-5291
Complete source record
{
  "id": "038db2da0f92e43834a4e4f3e0ee7d52f55eeced723856cf2951239add1dbe39",
  "url": "https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-5291",
  "method": "structured",
  "payload": {
    "kind": "advisory",
    "title": "CVE-2020-5291",
    "summary": "Bubblewrap (bwrap) before version 0.4.1, if installed in setuid mode and the kernel supports unprivileged user namespaces, then the `bwrap --userns2` option can be used to make the setuid process keep running as root while being traceable. This can in turn be used to gain root permissions. Note that this only affects the combination of bubblewrap in setuid mode (which is typically used when unprivileged user namespaces are not supported) and the support of unprivileged user namespaces. Known to be affected are: * Debian testing/unstable, if unprivileged user namespaces enabled (not default) * Debian buster-backports, if unprivileged user namespaces enabled (not default) * Arch if using `linux-hardened`, if unprivileged user namespaces enabled (not default) * Centos 7 flatpak COPR, if unprivileged user namespaces enabled (not default) This has been fixed in the 0.4.1 release, and all affected users should update.",
    "evidence": "osv:CVE-2020-5291",
    "products": [],
    "severity": "high",
    "structured": {
      "id": "CVE-2020-5291",
      "aliases": [
        "CVE-2020-5291",
        "GHSA-j2qp-rvxj-43vj"
      ],
      "metrics": [
        {
          "type": "CVSS_V3",
          "score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
        }
      ],
      "affected": [
        {
          "ranges": [
            {
              "repo": "https://github.com/containers/bubblewrap",
              "type": "GIT",
              "events": [
                {
                  "introduced": "0"
                },
                {
                  "fixed": "5feb64dc60c936a7f9e424df9478aae9b88ee48a"
                },
                {
                  "fixed": "1f7e2ad948c051054b683461885a0215f1806240"
                }
              ],
              "database_specific": {
                "extracted_events": [
                  {
                    "cpe": "cpe:2.3:a:projectatomic:bubblewrap:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                    "range": [
                      {
                        "introduced": "0"
                      },
                      {
                        "fixed": "0.4.1"
                      }
                    ],
                    "source": "CPE_RANGE"
                  },
                  {
                    "range": [
                      {
                        "fixed": "1f7e2ad948c051054b683461885a0215f1806240"
                      }
                    ],
                    "source": "REFERENCES_COMMIT"
                  }
                ]
              }
            }
          ],
          "versions": [
            "v0.4.0",
            "v0.3.3",
            "v0.3.2",
            "v0.3.1",
            "v0.3.0",
            "v0.2.1",
            "v0.2.0",
            "v0.1.8",
            "v0.1.7",
            "v0.1.5",
            "v0.1.4",
            "v0.1.3",
            "0.1.2",
            "v0.1.1",
            "v0.1.0"
          ],
          "database_specific": {
            "source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/cve-osv-conversion/osv-output/CVE-2020-5291.json"
          }
        }
      ],
      "modified": "2026-10-20T10:53:28.680463869Z",
      "provider": "osv",
      "references": [
        "https://github.com/containers/bubblewrap/security/advisories/GHSA-j2qp-rvxj-43vj",
        "https://github.com/containers/bubblewrap/commit/1f7e2ad948c051054b683461885a0215f1806240"
      ],
      "provider_metadata": {
        "unresolved_ranges": [
          {
            "cpes": [
              "cpe:2.3:o:centos:centos:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*"
            ],
            "vendor_product": "centos:centos",
            "extracted_events": [
              {
                "range": [
                  {
                    "introduced": "7.0"
                  },
                  {
                    "last_affected": "7.0"
                  }
                ],
                "source": "CPE_STRING"
              }
            ]
          },
          {
            "cpes": [
              "cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*"
            ],
            "vendor_product": "debian:debian_linux",
            "extracted_events": [
              {
                "range": [
                  {
                    "introduced": "10.0"
                  },
                  {
                    "last_affected": "10.0"
                  }
                ],
                "source": "CPE_STRING"
              }
            ]
          }
        ]
      }
    },
    "related_cves": [
      {
        "value": "CVE-2020-5291",
        "evidence": "/id"
      }
    ],
    "security_relevant": true,
    "severity_evidence": "/severity/0/score"
  },
  "source_id": "core-osv",
  "document_id": 384351,
  "published_at": "2020-03-31T18:15:26.963+00:00"
}