# CVE-2026-40354: Path traversal in xdg-desktop-portal

> A malicious Flatpak application can trash arbitrary files on the host system via a symlink attack, requiring users to update xdg-desktop-portal.

- **Severity:** Low 2.9 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 11 Apr 2026
- **Updated:** 15 Apr 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2026-40354, GHSA-rqr9-jwwf-wxgj, GHSA-v5fw-rcv7-v6f3, OESA-2026-2182, OESA-2026-2183, OESA-2026-2184, SUSE-SU-2026:2712-1, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-40354

## What is CVE-2026-40354?

CVE-2026-40354 is a low-severity path traversal vulnerability in Flatpak xdg-desktop-portal, published on 11 Apr 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Flatpak xdg-desktop-portal before 1.20.4 and 1.21.x before 1.21.1 allows any Flatpak app to trash any file in the host context via a symlink attack on g_file_trash.

Weakness: CWE-61 (UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-40354?

It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `xdg-desktop-portal` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Desktop Applications 15 SP7 | All versions | 1.18.2-150600.4.6.1 |

Products: Flatpak Xdg-Desktop-Portal.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-40354?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2026-40354 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-40354 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-40354 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-40354 is a low-severity path traversal vulnerability in Flatpak xdg-desktop-portal, published on 11 Apr 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-40354 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Flatpak xdg-desktop-portal. 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/CVE-2026-40354/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-40354/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-40354
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-40354
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-40354

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-40354/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.