{"id":"CVE-2019-13272","published":"2019-07-17T13:15:10Z","modified":"2026-06-17T02:16:26Z","title":"Linux Kernel Improper Privilege Management Vulnerability","vendor":"Linux","product":"Kernel","tier":"core","eol":null,"description":{"text":"In the Linux kernel before 5.1.17, ptrace_link in kernel/ptrace.c mishandles the recording of the credentials of a process that wants to create a ptrace relationship, which allows local users to obtain root access by leveraging certain scenarios with a parent-child process relationship, where a parent drops privileges and calls execve (potentially allowing control by an attacker). One contributing factor is an object lifetime issue (which can also cause a panic). Another contributing factor is incorrect marking of a ptrace relationship as privileged, which is exploitable through (for example) Polkit's pkexec helper with PTRACE_TRACEME. NOTE: SELinux deny_ptrace might be a usable workaround in some environments.","provenance":"source","from":"NVD"},"summary":{"text":"The Linux kernel before 5.1.17 mishandles credential recording in ptrace_link() in kernel/ptrace.c, combined with an object lifetime issue and incorrect privileged marking of ptrace relationships. A local user who already has an account can gain root access through certain parent-child process scenarios where a parent drops privileges and calls execve, and the flaw is also exploitable through Polkit's pkexec helper using PTRACE_TRACEME.","provenance":"ai","model":"claude-haiku-5-5","generatedAt":"2026-10-23T07:10:56Z"},"cvss":{"score":7.8,"severity":"HIGH","version":"3.1","vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","provenance":"source","from":"NVD"},"epss":{"score":0.52199,"percentile":0.98955,"date":"2026-10-28","provenance":"source"},"kev":{"dateAdded":"2021-12-10","dueDate":"2022-06-10","ransomware":false,"requiredAction":"Apply updates per vendor instructions.","notes":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-13272","provenance":"source"},"vulncheckKev":{"dateAdded":"2021-12-10","exploitedFirstSeen":"2021-12-10","ransomware":false,"evidence":[{"url":"https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/feeds/known_exploited_vulnerabilities.json","date":"2021-12-10"},{"url":"https://www.ptsecurity.com/ru-ru/research/pt-esc-threat-intelligence/ex-cobalt-go-red-tehnika-skrytogo-tunnelya/","date":"2024-06-06"},{"url":"https://www.ptsecurity.com/ww-en/analytics/pt-esc-threat-intelligence/excobalt-gored-the-hidden-tunnel-technique/","date":"2024-06-19"},{"url":"https://securelist.com/vulnerabilities-and-exploits-in-q1-2025/116624/","date":"2025-05-30"},{"url":"https://securelist.com/vulnerabilities-and-exploits-in-q2-2025/117333/","date":"2025-08-27"},{"url":"https://securelist.com/vulnerabilities-and-exploits-in-q3-2025/118197/","date":"2025-12-03"},{"url":"https://securelist.com/vulnerabilities-and-exploits-in-q4-2025/119105/","date":"2026-03-06"},{"url":"https://securelist.com/vulnerabilities-and-exploits-in-q2-2026/121091/","date":"2026-08-26"}],"evidenceTotal":8,"provenance":"source"},"exploited":true,"otx":{"pulseCount":50,"pulses":[{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev 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expert-reviewed)"}],"reports":[],"affected":[],"advisories":[],"euvd":{"id":"EUVD-2019-4779","url":"https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/vulnerability/EUVD-2019-4779","exploited":true,"exploitedSince":"2021-12-10","provenance":"source"},"exploits":[{"id":47133,"url":"https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/47133","title":"Linux - Broken Permission and Object Lifetime Handling for PTRACE_TRACEME","type":"local","platform":"linux","date":"2019-07-17","verified":true,"provenance":"source"},{"id":47163,"url":"https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/47163","title":"Linux Kernel 4.10 < 5.1.17 - 'PTRACE_TRACEME' pkexec Local Privilege Escalation","type":"local","platform":"linux","date":"2019-07-24","verified":false,"provenance":"source"},{"id":47543,"url":"https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/47543","title":"Linux Polkit - pkexec helper PTRACE_TRACEME local root (Metasploit)","type":"local","platform":"linux","date":"2019-10-24","verified":true,"provenance":"source"},{"id":50541,"url":"https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/50541","title":"Linux Kernel 5.1.x - 'PTRACE_TRACEME' pkexec Local Privilege Escalation (2)","type":"local","platform":"linux","date":"2021-11-23","verified":false,"provenance":"source"}],"exploitSources":{"exploitdb":{"count":4,"earliest":"2019-07-17"},"pocGithub":{"count":12,"skipped":7,"earliest":"2019-07-31","earliestUrl":"https://github.com/jas502n/CVE-2019-13272","repos":[{"name":"jas502n/CVE-2019-13272","url":"https://github.com/jas502n/CVE-2019-13272","stars":333,"created":"2019-07-31"},{"name":"Cyc1eC/CVE-2019-13272","url":"https://github.com/Cyc1eC/CVE-2019-13272","stars":5,"created":"2019-07-31"},{"name":"oneoy/CVE-2019-13272","url":"https://github.com/oneoy/CVE-2019-13272","stars":4,"created":"2019-08-07"},{"name":"Tharana/vulnerability-exploitation","url":"https://github.com/Tharana/vulnerability-exploitation","stars":3,"created":"2020-05-12"},{"name":"josemlwdf/CVE-2019-13272","url":"https://github.com/josemlwdf/CVE-2019-13272","stars":3,"created":"2024-06-20"}]},"metasploit":[{"name":"Linux Polkit pkexec helper PTRACE_TRACEME local root exploit","module":"exploit/linux/local/ptrace_traceme_pkexec_helper","type":"exploit","disclosureDate":"2019-07-04","url":"https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/blob/master/modules/exploits/linux/local/ptrace_traceme_pkexec_helper.rb"}],"first":{"date":"2019-07-04","source":"Metasploit","url":"https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/blob/master/modules/exploits/linux/local/ptrace_traceme_pkexec_helper.rb"},"provenance":"source"},"exploitRefs":["http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/154245/Kernel-Live-Patch-Security-Notice-LSN-0054-1.html","http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/154957/Linux-Polkit-pkexec-Helper-PTRACE_TRACEME-Local-Root.html","http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/156929/Linux-PTRACE_TRACEME-Local-Root.html","http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/165051/Linux-Kernel-5.1.x-PTRACE_TRACEME-pkexec-Local-Privilege-Escalation.html","https://bugs.chromium.org/p/project-zero/issues/detail?id=1903","http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/153663/Linux-PTRACE_TRACEME-Broken-Permission-Object-Lifetime-Handling.html","http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/153702/Slackware-Security-Advisory-Slackware-14.2-kernel-Updates.html"],"flow":[{"stage":"exploitation","techniques":["T1068"],"provenance":"ai"},{"stage":"primary","techniques":["T1548"],"provenance":"ai"}],"timeline":[{"date":"2019-07-04","kind":"exploit-public","label":"First 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