CVE-2021-3560
Red Hat Polkit Incorrect Authorization Vulnerability
Red Hat Polkit
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.
Exploitation status
CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities
Listed by CISA on 12 May 2023. US federal agencies were required to remediate it by 2 June 2023.
EPSS — exploitation probability
FIRST puts the probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days at 21.8%, which is higher than 97.7% of all scored vulnerabilities. EPSS is a forecast of activity, not a measure of severity, and it is rescored daily.
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Frequently asked questions
Is CVE-2021-3560 being exploited by ransomware groups?
No ransomware group in this database is currently recorded as exploiting CVE-2021-3560.
What does CVE-2021-3560 affect?
CVE-2021-3560 affects Red Hat Polkit. 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.
How severe is CVE-2021-3560?
CVE-2021-3560 is rated HIGH with a CVSS base score of 7.8. EPSS puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 21.8%, higher than 97.7% of all scored vulnerabilities. It is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, with a federal remediation deadline of 2 June 2023.
How should organisations respond to CVE-2021-3560?
Apply the vendor patch for Red Hat Polkit as the first priority, and treat any internet-facing instance as the most urgent. Because this vulnerability is associated with ransomware activity, also review whether the affected systems were reachable before patching, rather than assuming that patching alone closes the incident.