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CVE-2021-3560

Red Hat Polkit Incorrect Authorization

7.8 HIGHActively exploited (CISA KEV)Public exploitEPSS 23.7%
  1. Published16 Feb 2022
  2. Added to CISA KEV12 May 2023
  3. Remediation due2 Jun 2023
Actively exploited (CISA KEV)

Red Hat Polkit contains an incorrect authorization vulnerability through the bypassing of credential checks for D-Bus requests, allowing for privilege escalation.

Added to KEV: 12 May 2023Federal remediation due: 2 Jun 2023

Description

It was found that polkit could be tricked into bypassing the credential checks for D-Bus requests, elevating the privileges of the requestor to the root user. This flaw could be used by an unprivileged local attacker to, for example, create a new local administrator. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to data confidentiality and integrity as well as system availability.

CVSS 3.1 breakdown

Attack vectorLocal
Attack complexityLow
Privileges requiredLow
User interactionNone
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected products

Polkit< 0.119
Redhat Openshift Container Platform4.7
Redhat Virtualization4.0
Redhat Virtualization Host4.0
Canonical Ubuntu Linux20.04
Debian Linux11.0

Remediation

Fixed in
Polkit≥ 0.119

References

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Frequently asked

Is CVE-2021-3560 being actively exploited?

Yes. CVE-2021-3560 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added 12 May 2023.

How severe is CVE-2021-3560?

CVE-2021-3560 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8, rated high. EPSS estimates a 23.7% probability of exploitation.

Which products are affected by CVE-2021-3560?

Affected products include Polkit, Redhat Openshift Container Platform, Redhat Virtualization, Redhat Virtualization Host, Canonical Ubuntu Linux, and 1 more.

How do I fix CVE-2021-3560?

Upgrade affected software to a fixed version, for example Polkit 0.119 or later, then confirm no affected versions remain in your inventory.

How Secuno handles this

Secuno correlates vulnerabilities like CVE-2021-3560 against the real software inventory on every managed device, as each hourly inventory arrives. Rather than a static severity, each match is scored in context: exploit availability, EPSS, the asset's exposure, and business criticality decide where it lands in the queue. Because it is on the CISA KEV list, a risk for it never ranks below high, and the update that fixes it moves to the Emergency patch lane. If an affected version is present anywhere across your portfolio, it surfaces automatically with a prioritised remediation path.

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Data from the NVD, CISA KEV catalog and FIRST EPSS. CVSS 3.1 base score shown where available.