diff --git a/build/guest-tests/zones-check.sh b/build/guest-tests/zones-check.sh
index 9bea55ad..ba7a1626 100755
--- a/build/guest-tests/zones-check.sh
+++ b/build/guest-tests/zones-check.sh
@@ -98,6 +98,47 @@ if [[ "$dns_dropped" -ge 1 && "$dns_root" -eq 0 ]]; then
 else
     fail "dnsmasq-unprivileged" "dropped ${dns_dropped}, as root ${dns_root}:${dns_seen:- no dnsmasq running}"
 fi
+# The update fetcher and the SNTP client read what far hosts send, as the net
+# zone's root: each gives up every capability before it reads a byte. In the
+# net zone's user namespace, where that root holds them all, each is held
+# waiting on what never answers and read: the fetcher on a broker socket that
+# never replies, and the SNTP client, in the net zone's own network, whose
+# loopback is up, on a time server bound there.
+quiet="$(mktemp -d)"; chmod 755 "$quiet"
+python3 -c 'import socket, sys, time
+b = socket.socket(socket.AF_UNIX); b.bind(sys.argv[1]); b.listen(4); time.sleep(40)' "$quiet/broker" &
+QB=$!
+nsenter -t "${nz_init:-0}" -n python3 -c 'import socket, sys, time
+u = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_DGRAM); u.bind(("127.0.0.1", 0))
+open(sys.argv[1], "w").write("%d\n" % u.getsockname()[1])
+time.sleep(40)' "$quiet/udp-port" &
+QU=$!
+for _ in $(seq 1 20); do [[ -S "$quiet/broker" && -s "$quiet/udp-port" ]] && break; sleep 0.25; done
+chmod 666 "$quiet/broker" 2>/dev/null
+port="$(cat "$quiet/udp-port" 2>/dev/null)"
+nsenter -t "${nz_init:-0}" -U python3 /usr/libexec/kryptik/update-fetch.py poll --broker "$quiet/broker" > "$quiet/fetch.out" 2>&1 &
+QF=$!
+nsenter -t "${nz_init:-0}" -U -n python3 /usr/libexec/kryptik/sntp-offset.py --timeout 30 --server "127.0.0.1:${port}" > "$quiet/sntp.out" 2>&1 &
+QS=$!
+caps_of() { awk '/^(CapInh|CapPrm|CapEff|CapAmb|NoNewPrivs):/ { printf "%s%s ", $1, $2 }' "/proc/$1/status" 2>/dev/null; }
+none="CapInh:0000000000000000 CapPrm:0000000000000000 CapEff:0000000000000000 CapAmb:0000000000000000 NoNewPrivs:1 "
+for _ in $(seq 1 40); do [[ "$(caps_of "$QF")" == "$none" && "$(caps_of "$QS")" == "$none" ]] && break; sleep 0.25; done
+held_f="$(caps_of "$QF")"; held_s="$(caps_of "$QS")"
+kill "$QF" "$QS" "$QB" "$QU" 2>/dev/null
+wait "$QF" 2>/dev/null; rc_f=$?; wait "$QS" 2>/dev/null; rc_s=$?; wait "$QB" "$QU" 2>/dev/null
+if [[ "$held_f" == "$none" && "$held_s" == "$none" ]]; then
+    pass "fetch-and-sntp-no-caps" "update-fetch.py and sntp-offset.py each hold no capability, with no new privileges, while they wait on the network"
+else
+    # What a send to that server meets from where the client ran: a client that ends at once says nothing.
+    probe="$(nsenter -t "${nz_init:-0}" -U -n python3 -c 'import socket, sys
+s = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_DGRAM)
+try:
+    print("sent", s.sendto(b"x", ("127.0.0.1", int(sys.argv[1]))))
+except (OSError, ValueError) as e:
+    print("refused:", e)' "$port" 2>&1 | tr '\n' ' ')"
+    fail "fetch-and-sntp-no-caps" "update-fetch.py: ${held_f:-gone, exit $rc_f: $(head -c 300 "$quiet/fetch.out" | tr '\n' ' ')}| sntp-offset.py: ${held_s:-gone, exit $rc_s: $(head -c 300 "$quiet/sntp.out" | tr '\n' ' ')}| a send from there: ${probe:-nothing said}"
+fi
+rm -rf "$quiet"
 if ip link show eth0 >/dev/null 2>&1; then fail "zone0-nic" "eth0 is still in zone 0"; else pass "zone0-nic" "eth0 is not in zone 0 (moved into the net zone)"; fi
 if [[ -z "$(ip route show default 2>/dev/null)" ]]; then pass "zone0-no-route" "zone 0 has no default route"; else fail "zone0-no-route" "$(ip route show default)"; fi
 if ping -c1 -W2 10.0.2.2 >/dev/null 2>&1; then fail "zone0-offline" "zone 0 reached the VM gateway"; else pass "zone0-offline" "zone 0 cannot reach the VM gateway"; fi
diff --git a/docs/design/net-zone.md b/docs/design/net-zone.md
index 31d370c5..be67a373 100755
--- a/docs/design/net-zone.md
+++ b/docs/design/net-zone.md
@@ -163,6 +163,12 @@ query and the [update](update-channel.md) fetcher. Builds on
   nothing but `nameserver` lines (`tools/tests/netzone-hook.sh`). A bug in a
   parser no longer reaches the Wi-Fi credentials, the broker's socket, the
   firewall's netlink socket or a program to run.
+- **The clock query and the update fetcher hold no capability.**
+  `sntp-offset.py` and `update-fetch.py` run as the zone's root and, before
+  they read anything from the network, set no new privileges and empty their
+  capability sets with `capset`, which the filter allows for the drops above.
+  What parses a time server's reply, TLS or HTTP keeps the zone root's files,
+  but not the firewall, the routes or a raw socket.
 - **Readiness**, printed again on any change:
 
 ```text
@@ -358,6 +364,10 @@ as `SIGSYS` in the zone's log and a `wifi=connecting` that never changes.
   point, whose own address that zone is refused while it reaches an address
   the access point routes. It pings with an unprivileged ICMP socket
   (`build/guest-tests/icmp-echo.py`), since routed zones lack `CAP_NET_RAW`.
+- The zones suite runs `sntp-offset.py` and `update-fetch.py` in the net
+  zone's user namespace, where its root holds every capability, keeps each
+  waiting on something that never answers, and reads that neither holds a
+  capability and both have no new privileges.
 
 ## Kernel requirements
 
diff --git a/tools/image/zones-test.sh b/tools/image/zones-test.sh
index fac4bce3..32004b51 100755
--- a/tools/image/zones-test.sh
+++ b/tools/image/zones-test.sh
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ for name in kernel-support policies net-ready net-dns dhcpcd-separated dnsmasq-u
             time-floor-ran time-clamp time-floor-forged time-claim-stepped time-claim-floor time-claim-consent pids-limit ephemeral-size-bound cpu-max-set lifecycle-repeat lifecycle-registry resolver-after-attach dns-cache-off dns-counters-hidden net-zone-sysfs-nics-only \
             terminal-terminfo man-page text-browser tls-trust \
             volume-init zone-source-pinned bridge-ports-closed encrypted-zone-start stop-closes-volume wrong-passphrase persist-reopen no-mapping-after ephemeral-gone concurrent-start-refused full-volume header-restore volume-destroy vault-offline vault-ping no-passphrase-leak \
-            setuid-only-allowed no-file-capabilities sysctls-applied host-activity-hidden; do
+            setuid-only-allowed no-file-capabilities sysctls-applied host-activity-hidden fetch-and-sntp-no-caps; do
     grep -q "ZT PASS ${name}" <<<"$T2" && green "guest: ${name}" || red "guest: ${name} (not passed)"
 done
 
diff --git a/tools/net/sntp-offset.py b/tools/net/sntp-offset.py
index 7ff574a9..6c4e6c1a 100755
--- a/tools/net/sntp-offset.py
+++ b/tools/net/sntp-offset.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 decimals) and how many servers that is the median of; nothing, and exit 1, if
 none answered. A plain SNTP query (RFC 4330) that sets nothing.
 """
+import ctypes
 import select
 import socket
 import struct
@@ -17,6 +18,17 @@
 ERA = 1 << 32
 
 
+def drop_capabilities():
+    """None of the net zone root's capabilities, CAP_NET_ADMIN among them, for what reads a far
+    host's bytes; no new privileges, so an exec cannot take them back."""
+    libc = ctypes.CDLL(None, use_errno=True)
+    ulong = ctypes.c_ulong
+    header = (ctypes.c_uint32 * 2)(0x20080522, 0)      # capability version 3, this process
+    # 38 is PR_SET_NO_NEW_PRIVS; capset with zeroed sets empties effective, permitted and inheritable.
+    if libc.prctl(38, ulong(1), ulong(0), ulong(0), ulong(0)) or libc.capset(header, (ctypes.c_uint32 * 6)()):
+        raise OSError(ctypes.get_errno(), "the net zone's capabilities could not be dropped")
+
+
 def to_ntp(t):
     secs = int(t) + NTP_EPOCH
     return struct.pack("!II", secs % ERA, int((t - int(t)) * ERA) % ERA)
@@ -87,6 +99,10 @@ def measure(targets, timeout):
 
 
 def main(argv):
+    try:
+        drop_capabilities()
+    except OSError as e:
+        sys.exit("sntp-offset: %s" % e)
     timeout, targets = 8.0, []
     it = iter(argv)
     for a in it:
diff --git a/tools/net/update-fetch.py b/tools/net/update-fetch.py
index 245403da..fd8969e6 100755
--- a/tools/net/update-fetch.py
+++ b/tools/net/update-fetch.py
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 verifies every piece. Keeps nothing: a release is larger than this zone's storage.
 """
 import argparse
+import ctypes
 import socket
 import ssl
 import sys
@@ -21,6 +22,17 @@
 ROUNDS = 8             # polls per run: the manifest, then the files, then idle
 
 
+def drop_capabilities():
+    """None of the net zone root's capabilities, CAP_NET_ADMIN among them, for what reads a far
+    host's bytes; no new privileges, so an exec cannot take them back."""
+    libc = ctypes.CDLL(None, use_errno=True)
+    ulong = ctypes.c_ulong
+    header = (ctypes.c_uint32 * 2)(0x20080522, 0)      # capability version 3, this process
+    # 38 is PR_SET_NO_NEW_PRIVS; capset with zeroed sets empties effective, permitted and inheritable.
+    if libc.prctl(38, ulong(1), ulong(0), ulong(0), ulong(0)) or libc.capset(header, (ctypes.c_uint32 * 6)()):
+        raise OSError(ctypes.get_errno(), "the net zone's capabilities could not be dropped")
+
+
 def ask(broker, header, payload=b""):
     """One request to zone 0's broker, one reply line."""
     s = socket.socket(socket.AF_UNIX, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
@@ -122,6 +134,7 @@ def main():
     ap.add_argument("--ca", default="/etc/ssl/certs/ca-certificates.crt")
     args = ap.parse_args()
     try:
+        drop_capabilities()
         return latest(args) if args.what == "latest" else poll(args)
     except (OSError, ValueError) as e:     # urllib's errors are OSErrors
         # One line: the text can hold a host's own words, line ends among them.