Stay safe with Flatseal, the Flatpak Permissions Manager
Breaking the Mold
© Lead Image © mackoflower, 123RF.com
Use an intuitive graphical interface to manage Flatpak application permissions and secure your Linux desktop.
Flatpak packages have fixed a major deployment friction for Linux users, but they have also introduced an interesting security challenge. In the traditional Linux packaging ecosystem, an app runs with the full user privileges of the account that launched it. Thanks to this arrangement, any app can easily view your entire home directory, read your private cryptographic keys, listen to your microphone, and even track your physical location.
Flatpak directly counters this exposure by isolating each app bundle inside a secure, containerized sandbox environment (see the box titled "Flatpak 101"). In essence, Flatpak creates a protective layer around each app to isolate it from your core files and personal data, granting the app only the bare minimum system access points it needs to fulfill the purpose it was designed for.
The challenge with this design is that you might discover that your Flatpak-installed IDE cannot see your remote development folders or the video editor or screen recorder is blind to your second hard drive.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Digital Autonomy
• The Answer Was Already on the Shelf
• Changing the Chip Industry: How Public Investment Has Grown Open Silicon
• United Nations Open Source Portal Goes Live
• EU Open Source Strategy Plays Key Role in Tech Sovereignty Package
• France Says “Au Revoir” to Microsoft
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
China Switching from Windows to Linux
China has ordered several government agencies to drop a Chinese-developed version of Windows 10 in favor of either KylinOS or UOS.
-
Pine64 Halts Production of Linux Devices
With continued DRAM and eMMC shortages, Pine64 has decided to discontinue production of Linux devices.
-
The Bullet-Proof KDE Software Initiative Is Coming
KDE, Techpaladin, and Kubuntu Focus have announced a new initiative that will provide at least three years of support for KDE Plasma 6.6 LTS and related software.
-
Linux Mint Shares a Possible Kernel Cleanup Solution
For those on Linux Mint who like to keep multiple kernels around but don't want them to take up too much space, you might be getting a new automated tool.
-
CachyOS Gets an Update
CachyOS August 2026 release is now available with the latest version of KDE, some new features, and plenty of improvements.
-
The Linux Kernel Dev Staging Area Now Rejects AI-Generated Patches
Unless a kernel patch is a valid security fix, it will be rejected if it was created using AI.
-
Linux Surpasses Double-Digit Market Share
According to two sources, the Linux operating system has hit a major milestone in market share that naysayers thought would never happen.
-
AI Helped Develop a Linux Exploit
A use-after-free race exploit was discovered and exploited on CentOS Stream 9.
-
Yet Another Linux Kernel Vulnerability Discovered
Affecting millions of systems, a kernel flaw discovered by Qualys could allow users to gain root privileges.
-
Ubuntu 26.10 to Include Ubuntu Certified Hardware Check
If you've ever wondered if your laptop or PC is officially certified to run Ubuntu, that curiosity will soon be met.