A flaw was found in PolicyKit (aka polkit) 0.115 that allows a user with a uid greater…
Priority HIGH 73CWE-20Published · Updated
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 10 fixed, 2 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.0 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
A flaw was found in PolicyKit (aka polkit) 0.115 that allows a user with a uid greater than INT_MAX to successfully execute any systemctl command.
Why it matters now
Exploitation Proof of concept CISA SSVC · not in CISA KEV
EPSS 0.11575 96th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Public exploit Yes 1 exploit referenceTagged by NVD
Fix Partial Red Hat: 2 advisoriesRed Hat: 10 fixed, 2 without a fix
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- Poc
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Total
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | all versions | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- — Vendor— Affected all versions Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 8
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:polkit_project:polkit:0.115:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 0.115 | Vulnerable | Polkit Project |
| cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 8.0 | Vulnerable | Debian |
| cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 9.0 | Vulnerable | Debian |
| cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:12.04:*:*:*:esm:*:*:* | 12.04 | Vulnerable | Canonical |
| cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:14.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* | 14.04 | Vulnerable | Canonical |
| cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:16.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* | 16.04 | Vulnerable | Canonical |
| cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* | 18.04 | Vulnerable | Canonical |
| cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 18.10 | Vulnerable | Canonical |
- cpe:2.3:a:polkit_project:polkit:0.115:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 0.115 Vulnerable ·Polkit Project
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 8.0 Vulnerable ·Debian
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 9.0 Vulnerable ·Debian
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:12.04:*:*:*:esm:*:*:* Versions 12.04 Vulnerable ·Canonical
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:14.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* Versions 14.04 Vulnerable ·Canonical
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:16.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* Versions 16.04 Vulnerable ·Canonical
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* Versions 18.04 Vulnerable ·Canonical
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 18.10 Vulnerable ·Canonical
Remediation
Red Hat 2 advisories
- RHSA-2019:3232 Released 2019-10-29 · Red Hat rating Moderatepolkit security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux ComputeNode EUS (v. 7.6) polkit-0.112-18.el7_6.2
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux ComputeNode Optional EUS (v. 7.6) polkit-devel-0.112-18.el7_6.2, polkit-docs-0.112-18.el7_6.2
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server EUS (v. 7.6) polkit-0.112-18.el7_6.2, polkit-0.112-18.el7_6.2.ppc, polkit-devel-0.112-18.el7_6.2 +2
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux for ARM and IBM Power LE (POWER9) Server (v. 7) polkit-0.112-18.el7_6.2, polkit-devel-0.112-18.el7_6.2, polkit-docs-0.112-18.el7_6.2
- RHSA-2019:2046 Released 2019-08-06 · Red Hat rating Moderatepolkit security and bug fix update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Client (v. 7) polkit-0.112-22.el7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Client Optional (v. 7) polkit-devel-0.112-22.el7, polkit-docs-0.112-22.el7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux ComputeNode (v. 7) polkit-0.112-22.el7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux ComputeNode Optional (v. 7) polkit-devel-0.112-22.el7, polkit-docs-0.112-22.el7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server (v. 7) polkit-0.112-22.el7, polkit-0.112-22.el7.ppc, polkit-devel-0.112-22.el7 +2
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation (v. 7) polkit-0.112-22.el7, polkit-devel-0.112-22.el7, polkit-docs-0.112-22.el7
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat Virtualization 4 | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Client (v. 7) | Fixed | RHSA-2019:2046 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Client Optional (v. 7) | Fixed | RHSA-2019:2046 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux ComputeNode (v. 7) | Fixed | RHSA-2019:2046 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux ComputeNode EUS (v. 7.6) | Fixed | RHSA-2019:3232 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux ComputeNode Optional (v. 7) | Fixed | RHSA-2019:2046 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux ComputeNode Optional EUS (v. 7.6) | Fixed | RHSA-2019:3232 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server (v. 7) | Fixed | RHSA-2019:2046 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server EUS (v. 7.6) | Fixed | RHSA-2019:3232 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation (v. 7) | Fixed | RHSA-2019:2046 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux for ARM and IBM Power LE (POWER9) Server (v. 7) | Fixed | RHSA-2019:3232 |
Not affected: 1 product
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2018-19788
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-4569-2jp2-r7vf
References
Sources
- CVE-2018-19788 · CVE Program
- CVE-2018-19788 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-4569-2jp2-r7vf · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2018-19788 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences