Vulnerability in Freedesktop Polkit

CVE-2016-2568

pkexec, when used with --user nonpriv, allows local users to escape to the parent session via a crafted TIOCSTI ioctl call, which pushes characters to the terminal's input buffer.

EPSS: 0.004 (27.7th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 7.8 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H.

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

Public proof-of-concept exploits

References

  • cve@mitre.org (mailing-list, x_refsource_MLIST, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory)
  • cve@mitre.org (x_refsource_CONFIRM, Third Party Advisory, Issue Tracking)
  • cve@mitre.org (Third Party Advisory, x_refsource_MISC)
  • cve@mitre.org (Third Party Advisory, x_refsource_MISC)
  • cve@mitre.org (Mailing List, Third Party Advisory, x_refsource_MISC)

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2016-2568?
CVE-2016-2568 is a high-severity vulnerability in Freedesktop Polkit, classified under Improper Encoding or Escaping of Output. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2017-02-13.
How severe is CVE-2016-2568?
High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.
Is CVE-2016-2568 known to be exploited?
3 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.