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Major Linux PolicyKit security vulnerability uncovered: Pwnkit:
Polkit, formerly known as PolicyKit, is a systemd SUID-root program. It's installed by default in every major Linux distribution.
[...] This vulnerability is easy to exploit. And, with it, any ordinary user can gain full root privileges on a vulnerable computer by exploiting this vulnerability in its default configuration. As Qualys wrote in its brief description of the problem: "This vulnerability is an attacker's dream come true."
[...] Why is it so bad? Let us count the ways:
- Pkexec is installed by default on all major Linux distributions.
- Qualys has exploited Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, and CentOS in their tests, and they're sure other distributions are also exploitable.
- Pkexec has been vulnerable since its creation in May 2009 (commit c8c3d83, "Add a pkexec(1) command").
- An unprivileged local user can exploit this vulnerability to get full root privileges.
- Although this vulnerability is technically a memory corruption, it is exploitable instantly and reliably in an architecture-independent way.
- And, last but not least, it's exploitable even if the polkit daemon itself is not running.
[...] While we know Linux can be attacked, Solaris and other Unix systems may also be vulnerable. We do know, however, that OpenBSD can't be attacked by exploits using this vulnerability.
Red Hat rates the PwnKit as having a Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) score of 7.8. This is high.
When used correctly, Polkit provides an organized way for non-privileged processes to communicate with privileged processes. It is also possible to use polkit to execute commands with elevated privileges using the command pkexec followed by the command intended to be executed with root permission.
(Score: -1, Troll) by aristarchus on Thursday January 27 2022, @06:06AM (3 children)
Is this installed on SoylentNews servers? Is this why the aristarchus journal has disappeared? Will none call this what it is, censorship pure and simple!
quote?Due to excessive bad posting from this IP or Subnet, comment posting has temporarily been disabled. If it's you, consider this a chance to sit in the timeout corner. If it's someone else, this is a chance to hunt them down. If you think this is unfair, please email admin@soylentnews.org with your MD5'd IPID and SubnetID, which are "b0e4c575kkdhsk;796f3d7790" and "e1uj88860o3334kksndldl8ff26d701554b71cc7fa1" and (optionally, but preferably) your IP number "666.321.156.231" and your username "aristarchus".
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 27 2022, @06:14AM (1 child)
almost nobody cared yesterday ari
today, nobody cares
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 27 2022, @07:17AM
Thank you for destroying SoylentNews, AC.
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 27 2022, @08:24AM
$ ping 666.321.156.231
ping: 666.321.156.231: Name or service not known