CVE-2021-3560
Red Hat Polkit Incorrect Authorization Vulnerability - [Actively Exploited]
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.
INFO
Published Date :
Feb. 16, 2022, 7:15 p.m.
Last Modified :
April 3, 2025, 4:08 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
[email protected]
CISA KEV (Known Exploited Vulnerabilities)
For the benefit of the cybersecurity community and network defenders—and to help every organization better manage vulnerabilities and keep pace with threat activity—CISA maintains the authoritative source of vulnerabilities that have been exploited in the wild.
Red Hat Polkit contains an incorrect authorization vulnerability through the bypassing of credential checks for D-Bus requests, allowing for privilege escalation.
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1961710; https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-3560
Affected Products
The following products are affected by CVE-2021-3560
vulnerability.
Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the
products
that
are
affected, the information is not represented in the table below.
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 2.0 | HIGH | [email protected] | ||||
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | [email protected] | ||||
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 |
Solution
- Update the affected packages.
- If prompted, reboot the system.
Public PoC/Exploit Available at Github
CVE-2021-3560 has a 167 public
PoC/Exploit available at Github.
Go to the Public Exploits tab to see the list.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2021-3560.
| URL | Resource |
|---|---|
| http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/172836/polkit-Authentication-Bypass.html | Third Party Advisory VDB Entry |
| http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/172846/Facebook-Fizz-Denial-Of-Service.html | Third Party Advisory VDB Entry |
| https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1961710 | Issue Tracking Patch Vendor Advisory |
| https://github.blog/2021-06-10-privilege-escalation-polkit-root-on-linux-with-bug/ | Exploit Third Party Advisory |
| http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/172836/polkit-Authentication-Bypass.html | Third Party Advisory VDB Entry |
| http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/172846/Facebook-Fizz-Denial-Of-Service.html | Third Party Advisory VDB Entry |
| https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1961710 | Issue Tracking Patch Vendor Advisory |
| https://github.blog/2021-06-10-privilege-escalation-polkit-root-on-linux-with-bug/ | Exploit Third Party Advisory |
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2021-3560 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2021-3560
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
TryHackMe Modules
None
C Shell Python Ruby Makefile HTML Linker Script Batchfile Perl
None
None
None
for when linpeas keeps on giving you that same few recommendations no matter what
Shell
None
None
None
None
Script Bash -- CVE-2021-3560
Shell
OSCP Cheat Sheet
OSCP Cheat Sheet
None
None
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2021-3560 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2021-3560 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
-
Modified Analysis by [email protected]
Apr. 03, 2025
Action Type Old Value New Value -
CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
Jan. 29, 2025
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H -
CVE Modified by af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
Nov. 21, 2024
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Reference http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/172836/polkit-Authentication-Bypass.html Added Reference http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/172846/Facebook-Fizz-Denial-Of-Service.html Added Reference https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1961710 Added Reference https://github.blog/2021-06-10-privilege-escalation-polkit-root-on-linux-with-bug/ -
Modified Analysis by [email protected]
Jun. 27, 2024
Action Type Old Value New Value Changed Reference Type http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/172836/polkit-Authentication-Bypass.html No Types Assigned http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/172836/polkit-Authentication-Bypass.html Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry Changed Reference Type http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/172846/Facebook-Fizz-Denial-Of-Service.html No Types Assigned http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/172846/Facebook-Fizz-Denial-Of-Service.html Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry -
CVE Modified by [email protected]
May. 14, 2024
Action Type Old Value New Value -
CVE Modified by [email protected]
Nov. 07, 2023
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Reference Red Hat, Inc. http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/172846/Facebook-Fizz-Denial-Of-Service.html [No types assigned] -
CVE Modified by [email protected]
Jun. 12, 2023
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Reference http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/172836/polkit-Authentication-Bypass.html [No Types Assigned] -
Reanalysis by [email protected]
Jul. 11, 2022
Action Type Old Value New Value Removed CWE NIST CWE-863 Added CWE NIST CWE-754 -
Initial Analysis by [email protected]
Feb. 28, 2022
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CVSS V2 NIST (AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C) Added CVSS V3.1 NIST AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Changed Reference Type https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1961710 No Types Assigned https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1961710 Issue Tracking, Patch, Vendor Advisory Changed Reference Type https://github.blog/2021-06-10-privilege-escalation-polkit-root-on-linux-with-bug/ No Types Assigned https://github.blog/2021-06-10-privilege-escalation-polkit-root-on-linux-with-bug/ Exploit, Third Party Advisory Added CWE NIST CWE-863 Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:a:polkit_project:polkit:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (excluding) 0.119 Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:20.04:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Added CPE Configuration AND OR *cpe:2.3:a:redhat:virtualization:4.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:a:redhat:virtualization_host:4.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* OR cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Added CPE Configuration AND OR *cpe:2.3:a:redhat:openshift_container_platform:4.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:* OR cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vulnerability Scoring Details
Base CVSS Score: 7.8
Base CVSS Score: 7.2
Exploit Prediction
EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days.
6.08 }} 0.38%
score
0.90368
percentile