CVE-2021-3560

7.8 HIGH 22% exploit odds exploited in the wild Fix listed Auth & access

What it is

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.

At a glance

Exploitability: Can be exploited locally on the machine with a low-privilege account. High risk of data exposure, data tampering, service disruption.
In the wild: CISA lists this as exploited in real attacks. Treat as urgent.
Fix: A patch, advisory or fixed version is referenced. Upgrade or apply it.

Timeline

2021-05-20 00:00 UTC ReservedThe CVE id was reserved by its CNA
2022-02-16 19:15 UTC PublishedDisclosed publicly on CVE.org and NVD
2023-05-12 Exploited in the wildAdded to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list
2023-06-02 Remediation deadlineCISA's due date for federal agencies to fix it
2026-06-17 04:05 UTC Last updatedMost recent change to the record

Why it ranks here

Exploited in the wild: yes, CISA lists it. This puts it above everything that is not.
Exploit odds: 21.8% in the next 30 days (EPSS).
Severity: 7.8 HIGH (CVSS).
Fix: a patch or advisory is linked.

Details

Published: 2022-02-16 19:15 UTC
Last modified: 2026-06-17 04:05 UTC
Added to CISA KEV: 2023-05-12
Exploit probability: 21.8% · EPSS, next 30 days
Weakness: CWE-863 · Incorrect authorization
Record status: Analyzed

Affected

Polkit Project Polkit < 0.119
Debian Linux 11.0
Canonical Ubuntu Linux 20.04
Redhat Virtualization 4.0
Redhat Virtualization Host 4.0
Redhat Openshift Container Platform 4.7

Attack profile CVSS 3.1 · 7.8

Attack vector: Local
Complexity: Low
Privileges needed: Low
User interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: High

Raw vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Is it in your code?

Hand this to your coding agent. It searches your project for the affected products and checks versions. Nothing leaves your machine.

Read https://cve-list.com/agent/cve/CVE-2021-3560.md and follow it. Check whether this project is affected by CVE-2021-3560. Read only. Don't change anything and don't upload my code. Tell me yes, no or not sure, with the file as proof.

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Fix and advisories

References

NVD record · CVE.org record