Is CVE-2020-5291 actively exploited?

No active exploitation of CVE-2020-5291 has been confirmed so far. Continue monitoring, as exploit status can change.

Can CVE-2020-5291 be exploited remotely?

No. CVE-2020-5291 requires local access to exploit.

What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-5291?

CVE-2020-5291 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH).

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HIGH

CVE-2020-5291

CWE-648Published: March 31, 2020· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

7.8

CVSS v3.1

Official Description

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.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2020-5291 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.

Exploitation requires low privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 7.8.