Red Hat Polkit Incorrect Authorization Vulnerability
Red Hat · Polkit
A flaw in Red Hat's Polkit authorization framework allows the credential checks applied to D-Bus requests to be bypassed, so a request is handled with root-level privileges. An attacker needs only local, unprivileged access and no user interaction to exploit it, for example to create a new local administrator account.
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.
- Exploited
- Yes, in CISA KEV
- Reports
- 0
- Tactics
- 4/15
How an attack unfolds
Based on MITRE ATT&CKA public catalogue of the techniques attackers use, maintained by MITRE. Patchfirst uses it to describe what attackers do with a vulnerability. mappings. Select a step to see the evidence.How attackers get in
What they do
Exploitation timelineDated milestones for a CVE: when it was disclosed, when exploit code became public, when exploitation was confirmed, and when threat reports named it.
First seen exploited 15 months after disclosure. Public exploit code (Metasploit) was available 8 months before disclosure.
- Public exploit codeMetasploit8 mo before
- Disclosedday 0
CISA KEV listing is when exploitation was confirmed, not necessarily the first attack.
MITRE ATT&CKA public catalogue of the techniques attackers use, maintained by MITRE. Patchfirst uses it to describe what attackers do with a vulnerability. techniques
2 TechniqueOne specific attacker behaviour in MITRE ATT&CK, such as T1190 “Exploit Public-Facing Application”. IDs with a dot, like T1059.004, are sub-techniques., grouped by TacticThe attacker’s goal at a stage of an attack in MITRE ATT&CK, such as Initial Access or Persistence. Each technique belongs to one or more tactics. in kill-chain order, 2 cited passages 2Initial AccessTA0001
requestor gains root-level privileges
elevating the privileges of the requestor to the root user
Privilege EscalationTA0004
local privilege escalation via polkit credential bypass
polkit could be tricked into bypassing the credential checks
Detection
0 rules for this CVE · 87 general rules for its techniquesRules for this CVE
0Sigma ruleAn open, vendor-neutral detection rule for log data. Security teams convert Sigma rules into searches for their own SIEM. that reference CVE-2021-3560 directly.CVE-specific rules are not available in this build. Search SigmaHQ ↗
General rules for this CVE’s techniques
These detect the technique in general, not this specific vulnerability.
Exploitation for Privilege EscalationT106831 general rules
- Exploiting CVE-2019-1388criticalstable
- Audit CVE Eventcriticaltest
- HackTool - SysmonEOP Executioncriticaltest
- InstallerFileTakeOver LPE CVE-2021-41379 File Create Eventcriticaltest
- Possible Coin Miner CPU Priority Paramcriticaltest
- Potential CVE-2021-41379 Exploitation Attemptcriticaltest
- Potential SystemNightmare Exploitation Attemptcriticaltest
- Sudo Privilege Escalation CVE-2019-14287 - Builtincriticaltest
Valid AccountsT107856 general rules
- Win Susp Computer Name Containing Samtheadmincriticaltest
- Account Created And Deleted Within A Close Time Framehightest
- Activity From Anonymous IP Addresshightest
- Atypical Travelhightest
- Azure AD Threat Intelligencehightest
- Azure Subscription Permission Elevation Via AuditLogshightest
- External Remote SMB Logon from Public IPhightest
- Impossible Travelhightest
Sigma rules © SigmaHQ, Detection Rule License 1.1; linked, not reproduced.
What security researchers reported
Not named in any threat report yetAlso mentioned in 50 community threat pulses (AlienVault OTX)
Weaker evidencePulses are indicator collections that anyone can publish. A mention is not confirmation of exploitation.
- Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 29, 202628 Oct 2026
- Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 28, 202627 Oct 2026
- Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 27, 202626 Oct 2026
- Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 24, 202623 Oct 2026
- Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 23, 202622 Oct 2026
- Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 22, 202621 Oct 2026
- 44 more on OTX