polkit: Program run via pkexec as unprivileged user can escape to parent session via TIOCSTI ioctl
Published Feb 13, 2017
7.8
HIGHCVSS 3.1
EPSS 0.37%
Description
pkexec, when used with --user nonpriv, allows local users to escape to the parent session via a crafted TIOCSTI ioctl call, which pushes characters to the terminal's input buffer.
Affected products
No data.
Configuration 1
- n/a
Configuration 2
- 6.0
- 7.0
No data.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
polkit
Will not fix
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
polkit
Will not fix
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
polkit
Affected
| Product | Package | State | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | polkit | Will not fix | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | polkit | Will not fix | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | polkit | Affected | n/a |
No package ranges for this CVE.
Remediation
Red Hat statement
This issue affects the versions of polkit as shipped with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 and 7. Red Hat Product Security has rated this issue as having Moderate security impact. A future update may address this issue. This vulnerability requires user interaction for successful exploitation, which is why this vulnerability has been marked as moderate by Red Hat. For additional information, refer to the Issue Severity Classification: https://access.redhat.com/security/updates/classification/
Metrics
No CVSS v4.0 score for this CVE.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L
AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
This CVE is not in the KEV list.
No CISA SSVC assessment for this CVE yet.
Estimated probability of exploitation in the wild in the next 30 days (FIRST EPSS). As of Oct 1, 2026.
Score over time
2022–2026- EPSS v2
- EPSS v3
- EPSS v4
- EPSS v5
Percentile over time
- EPSS v2
- EPSS v3
- EPSS v4
- EPSS v5
Table of values (9 key points)
Flat stretches are collapsed; showing up to 120 newest points.
| Date | Score | Percentile | Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2026 | 0.37% (0.00366) | 28.08th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Jun 15, 2026 | 0.35% (0.00351) | 26.73th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Mar 17, 2025 | 0.15% (0.00148) | 32.73th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Dec 12, 2024 | 0.04% (0.00042) | 5.07th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Mar 7, 2023 | 0.04% (0.00042) | 5.63th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Mar 6, 2023 | 0.95% (0.00950) | 32.28th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Sep 10, 2022 | 0.95% (0.00950) | 30.63th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Apr 1, 2022 | 0.95% (0.00950) | 28.61th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Feb 4, 2022 | 0.95% (0.00950) | 13.46th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
References (8)
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/02/26/3 mailing-listx_refsource_MLISTMailing ListThird Party Advisory
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-2568 Vendor Advisory
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/cve-2016-2568 x_refsource_MISCThird Party Advisory
- https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=816062 x_refsource_MISCMailing ListThird Party Advisory
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1300746 x_refsource_CONFIRMIssue TrackingThird Party Advisory
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-2568
- https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2016-2568 x_refsource_MISCThird Party Advisory
- https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-2568
| Link | Providers | Tags |
|---|---|---|
| http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/02/26/3 | mailing-listx_refsource_MLISTMailing ListThird Party Advisory | |
| https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-2568 | Vendor Advisory | |
| https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/cve-2016-2568 | x_refsource_MISCThird Party Advisory | |
| https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=816062 | x_refsource_MISCMailing ListThird Party Advisory | |
| https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1300746 | x_refsource_CONFIRMIssue TrackingThird Party Advisory | |
| https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-2568 | ||
| https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2016-2568 | x_refsource_MISCThird Party Advisory | |
| https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-2568 |
Change history (0)
No recorded changes yet.