Privilege escalation in Packagekit
CVE-2020-16122
PackageKit's apt backend mistakenly treated all local debs as trusted. The apt security model is based on repository trust and not on the contents of individual files. On sites with configured PolicyKit rules this may allow users to install malicious packages.
Vulnerability class: Privilege Escalation
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 8.2 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.003 (24.8th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 25th percentile — 24.8% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.003 · newest: 0.003 · change: 0.000
Affected products
- Packagekit — versions 1.1.13-2ubuntu, 1.1.9-1ubuntu, 0.8.17-4ubuntu
- Packagekit Project
- Canonical Ubuntu Linux — versions 16.04, 18.04, 20.04
Weakness classification (CWE)
Public proof-of-concept exploits
References
- bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/packagekit/+bug/1882098 (Third Party Advisory, Issue Tracking)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2020-16122?
- CVE-2020-16122 is a high-severity vulnerability in Packagekit, classified under Improper Privilege Management. CVSS score: 8.2/10. Published 2020-11-07.
- How severe is CVE-2020-16122?
- High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 8.2 out of 10.
- Is CVE-2020-16122 known to be exploited?
- 1 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.