Description
An Ubuntu-specific modification to AccountsService in versions before 0.6.55-0ubuntu13.2, among other earlier versions, improperly dropped the ruid, allowing untrusted users to send signals to AccountService, thus stopping it from handling D-Bus messages in a timely fashion.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freedesktop | accountsservice | 0.6.35-0ubuntu7.3 – < 0.6.35-0ubuntu7.3+esm2, 0.6.40-2ubuntu11 – < 0.6.40-2ubuntu11.6, 0.6.45-1ubuntu1 – < 0.6.45-1ubuntu1.3, 0.6.55-0ubuntu – < 0.6.55-0ubuntu12~20.04.4, 0.6.55-0ubuntu13 – < 0.6.55-0ubuntu13.2 | 0.6.35-0ubuntu7.3+esm2 |
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.
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | accountsservice | 0.6.55-0ubuntu12~20.04.4 | USN-4616-1 |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | accountsservice | 0.6.45-1ubuntu1.3 | USN-4616-1 |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | accountsservice | 0.6.40-2ubuntu11.6 | USN-4616-1 |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 14.04 LTS | accountsservice | 0.6.35-0ubuntu7.3+esm2 | USN-4616-2 |
Public exploits
Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.
GitHub 1 repository
-
zev3n/Ubuntu-Gnome-privilege-escalation ★ 3 · Nov 12, 2020
A bash script exploit of [CVE-2020-16126/CVE-2020-16127] to achieve privilege escalation.Ubuntu 16.04-20.04 LTS本地提权漏洞利用脚本。要求拥有Gnome图形化环境。
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
Advisories 2
- USN-4616-2 accountsservice vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Apr 22, 2026
- USN-4616-1 accountsservice vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Apr 22, 2026