Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessControl cap_net-sandboxed process
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DeliveryCraft new limit omitting existing key
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ExploitSubmit limit update to cap_net service
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ExecutionMissing key treated as allow-any
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PersistSandbox silently grants expanded network permissions
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ImpactPerform previously restricted network operations
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A06:2025 - Insecure Design
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Least privilege enforcement
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Privilege Escalation The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires three concurrent conditions: (1) the target system must run an unpatched FreeBSD release - specifically 15.0-RELEASE before p9, 14.3-RELEASE before p14, or 14.4-RELEASE before p5; (2) an application on that system must be actively using Capsicum's cap_net service to enforce network capability limits; and (3) the attacker must be able to influence that application into issuing a new cap_net limit call that omits one or more keys from the currently active limit, either by compromising the application or by controlling logic that triggers the limit-update path. Systems not using cap_net sandboxing are completely unaffected regardless of FreeBSD version. The vendor-supplied CVSS PR:N and AV:N ratings are inconsistent with these prerequisites and should not be used to infer unauthenticated remote exploitation without further vendor clarification. |
| Impact | The vendor-supplied CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N, score 6.5) is inconsistent with the technical description. cap_net is a Capsicum system-call interface invoked by locally executing processes - not a network-exposed service. AV:N and PR:N do not reflect the actual exploitation prerequisites, which require a process already sandboxed by cap_net to be controlled or manipulated by the attacker. This discrepancy should be verified with the FreeBSD Security Team before using the vendor CVSS for risk scoring decisions. SSVC corroborates limited real-world risk: exploitation status is none, technical impact is partial, and no CISA KEV listing exists. EPSS at 0.01% (3rd percentile) aligns with no observed exploitation. Despite SSVC noting the attack is automatable (once the sandboxed process is under attacker influence), the constraint of requiring control over a Capsicum-sandboxed process is a meaningful barrier. Systems not using cap_net sandboxing are entirely unaffected, making this a targeted priority rather than a broad emergency. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | A network daemon sandboxed with cap_net restrictions - for example, one prohibited from establishing outbound connections to arbitrary addresses - is compromised or controlled by an attacker who can influence its cap_net API calls. The process submits a new limit request that intentionally drops one of the previously restricted operation keys. The cap_net service silently grants the omitted permission as allow-any, and the daemon gains the ability to perform the formerly forbidden network operations from within its sandbox. No public exploit code exists at time of analysis, but the logic flaw is mechanically straightforward for any developer familiar with the Capsicum API. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Jul 23, 2026
cap_net privilege escalation in FreeBSD allows Capsicum-sandboxed applications to silently expand their own network operation permissions beyond what was explicitly granted. When a sandboxed process submits a new cap_net limit that omits a key present in the previously active limit, the service incorrectly treats the omission as an unrestricted allow-any grant rather than rejecting the request. Affected releases are FreeBSD 15.0-RELEASE before patch 9, 14.3-RELEASE before patch 14, and 14.4-RELEASE before patch 5; no public exploit is identified and EPSS sits at 0.01% (3rd percentile), though SSVC flags the attack as automatable once the preconditions are met.
RemediationAI
Apply vendor-released patches to reach FreeBSD 15.0-RELEASE-p9, FreeBSD 14.3-RELEASE-p14, or FreeBSD 14.4-RELEASE-p5, as documented in FreeBSD Security Advisory FreeBSD-SA-26:24.cap_net (https://security.freebsd.org/advisories/FreeBSD-SA-26:24.cap_net.asc). Systems that do not use Capsicum's cap_net framework for sandboxing are not exposed to this vulnerability and require no action. As a compensating control before patching, administrators can audit and restrict deployment of applications that invoke cap_net limit updates; however, this may disrupt legitimate Capsicum-based sandboxing operations and is not a complete mitigation. No alternative workarounds are documented in available references.
Affected VersionsENISA
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Technical ContextAI · show details
FreeBSD's Capsicum security framework provides fine-grained capability-based sandboxing for processes. The cap_net service is a Capsicum component that enforces network operation limits on sandboxed processes via a key-value limit structure - each key represents a category of network operation (e.g., bind, connect, DNS resolution) and its value defines what is permitted. CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management) applies here: when a sandboxed process calls into cap_net to update its active limit, the implementation fails to validate that the new limit is strictly a subset of the old one. A missing key in the new limit should trigger a rejection, but instead the absence is interpreted as an unrestricted grant. This logic inversion in the permission-narrowing check is the root cause. The affected CPE is cpe:2.3:a:freebsd:freebsd:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* across three release branches.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
cap_net is invoked by locally executing sandboxed processes, not remotely; AV:L and PR:L better reflect required local process control.
Primary rating from Vendor (freebsd).
CVSS VectorVendor: freebsd
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
In the case of the cap_net service, when a key present in the old limit was omitted from the new limit, the missing key was treated as "allow any" instead of being rejected.
In certain scenarios, an application that had previously restricted a subset of network operations could ask for a new limit that extended the permissions of the process.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Privilege escalation occurs when an attacker leverages flaws in access control mechanisms to gain permissions beyond what they were originally granted.
The x86-64 kernel system-call functionality in Xen 4.1.2 and earlier, as used in Citrix XenServer 6.0.2 and earlier and
The rtsol(8) and rtsold(8) programs do not validate the domain search list options provided in router advertisement mess
Server or client applications that call the SSL_check_chain() function during or after a TLS 1.3 handshake may crash due
The RFC 5011 implementation in rdata.c in ISC BIND 9.7.x and 9.8.x before 9.8.5-P2, 9.8.6b1, 9.9.x before 9.9.3-P2, and
Remote code execution in OpenSSH's sshd server (regression of CVE-2006-5051) allows unauthenticated remote attackers to
An issue was discovered in OpenSSH 7.9. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.9), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no
The SSH transport protocol with certain OpenSSH extensions, found in OpenSSH before 9.6 and other products, allows remot
The vm_map_lookup function in sys/vm/vm_map.c in the mmap implementation in the kernel in FreeBSD 9.0 through 9.1-RELEAS
An OpenSSL TLS server may crash if sent a maliciously crafted renegotiation ClientHello message from a client. Rated med
Integer overflow in the _gd2GetHeader function in gd_gd2.c in the GD Graphics Library (aka libgd) before 2.2.3, as used
The Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) module in FreeBSD 9.3 before p33, 10.1 before p26, and 10.2 before p9, w
In FreeBSD 12.1-STABLE before r359565, 12.1-RELEASE before p7, 11.4-STABLE before r362975, 11.4-RELEASE before p1, and 1
EUVD-2026-31264
GHSA-rx3c-36rq-fgf8
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
VulDB
Exploit-DB