Description
libvirt 1.0.5.x before 1.0.5.6, 0.10.2.x before 0.10.2.8, and 0.9.12.x before 0.9.12.2 allows local users to bypass intended access restrictions by leveraging a PolkitUnixProcess PolkitSubject race condition in pkcheck via a (1) setuid process or (2) pkexec process, a related issue to CVE-2013-4288.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | libvirt | 1.1.3~rc1-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | libvirt | 1.1.3~rc1-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | libvirt | 1.1.3~rc1-1 | — |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 6 | libvirt +4 | 0.10.2-18.el6_4.14 | RHSA-2013:1272 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | libvirt | 2.5.0-1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2024:10209-1 |
Advisories 2
- RHSA-2013:1272 Red Hat Security Advisory: libvirt security and bug fix update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 28, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2024:10209-1 libvirt-2.5.0-1.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
References
- USN-1954-1 vendor-advisory
- http://wiki.libvirt.org/page/Maintenance_Releases
- [oss-security] 20130918 Re: Fwd: [vs-plain] polkit races mailing-list
- RHSA-2013:1272 vendor-advisory
- RHSA-2013:1460 vendor-advisory
- openSUSE-SU-2013:1550 vendor-advisory
- openSUSE-SU-2013:1549 vendor-advisory