# ALBA-2021:5230: accountsservice bug fix and enhancement update

> A bug in accountsservice causes desktop presentation changes when logging in as root, requiring a patch for stability.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 21 Dec 2021

## What is ALBA-2021:5230?

ALBA-2021:5230 is a vulnerability in accountsservice, published on 21 Dec 2021. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

The accountsservice project provides a set of D-Bus interfaces for querying
and manipulating user account information. It is based on the useradd,
usermod, and userdel commands.

Bug Fix(es) and Enhancement(s):

* [HP WS AlmaLinux 8.5 bug] Desktop presentation changes between reboots when
logging in as root (BZ#2013103)

## Which versions are affected by ALBA-2021:5230?


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `accountsservice` | AlmaLinux:8 | All versions | 0.6.55-2.el8_5.2 |
| `accountsservice-devel` | AlmaLinux:8 | All versions | 0.6.55-2.el8_5.2 |
| `accountsservice-libs` | AlmaLinux:8 | All versions | 0.6.55-2.el8_5.2 |

## How do I fix ALBA-2021:5230?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is ALBA-2021:5230 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of ALBA-2021:5230 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for ALBA-2021:5230 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: ALBA-2021:5230 is a vulnerability in accountsservice, published on 21 Dec 2021. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of ALBA-2021:5230 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: accountsservice. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/ALBA-2021-5230/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/ALBA-2021-5230/index.md)
```

## Sources

- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/ALBA-2021:5230

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/ALBA-2021-5230/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.