1. Ubuntu Security Notices
  2. USN-5252-2

USN-5252-2: PolicyKit vulnerability

Publication date

25 January 2022

Overview

policykit-1 could be made to run programs as an administrator.

Releases

Packages

  • policykit-1 - framework for managing administrative policies and privileges

Details

USN-5252-1 fixed a vulnerability in policykit-1. This update provides
the corresponding update for Ubuntu 14.04 ESM and Ubuntu 16.04 ESM.

Original advisory details:

It was discovered that the PolicyKit pkexec tool incorrectly handled
command-line arguments. A local attacker could use this issue to escalate
privileges to an administrator.

USN-5252-1 fixed a vulnerability in policykit-1. This update provides
the corresponding update for Ubuntu 14.04 ESM and Ubuntu 16.04 ESM.

Original advisory details:

It was discovered that the PolicyKit pkexec tool incorrectly handled
command-line arguments. A local attacker could use this issue to escalate
privileges to an administrator.

Update instructions

In general, a standard system update will make all the necessary changes.

Learn more about how to get the fixes.

The problem can be corrected by updating your system to the following package versions:

Ubuntu Release Package Version
16.04 xenial policykit-1 –  0.105-14.1ubuntu0.5+esm1  
14.04 trusty policykit-1 –  0.105-4ubuntu3.14.04.6+esm1  

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References

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