Description
A heap use-after-free vulnerability was found in systemd before version v245-rc1, where asynchronous Polkit queries are performed while handling dbus messages. A local unprivileged attacker can abuse this flaw to crash systemd services or potentially execute code and elevate their privileges, by sending specially crafted dbus messages.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| [UNKNOWN] | systemd | before v245-rc1 | — |
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 | systemd | 244.2-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | systemd | 244.2-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | systemd | 244.2-1 | — |
| Debian 9 | systemd | 232-25+deb9u14 | DLA-3063-1 |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | systemd | 244.1-0ubuntu3 | — |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | systemd | 237-3ubuntu10.38 | USN-4269-1 |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | systemd | 229-4ubuntu21.27 | USN-4269-1 |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 14.04 LTS | systemd | No fix yet | — |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 8 | systemd +7 | 239-18.el8_1.4 | RHSA-2020:0575 |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 8.0 E4S | systemd +7 | 239-13.el8_0.7 | RHSA-2020:0564 |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES 15 SP1 | systemd | 234-24.39.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:0335-1, SUSE-RU-2020:0793-1 |
| SLES 15 | systemd | 234-24.39.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:0335-1 |
| SLES 12 SP5 | systemd | 228-157.9.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:0353-1 |
| SLES 12 SP4 | systemd | 228-150.82.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:0331-1 |
| SLES 12 SP3 | systemd | 228-150.82.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:0331-1 |
Show 12 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES 12 SP2 | systemd | 228-150.82.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:0331-1 |
| SLES for SAP 15 | systemd | 234-24.39.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:0335-1 |
| SLES for SAP 12 SP5 | systemd | 228-157.9.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:0353-1 |
| SLES for SAP 12 SP4 | systemd | 228-150.82.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:0331-1 |
| SLES for SAP 12 SP3 | systemd | 228-150.82.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:0331-1 |
| SLES for SAP 12 SP2 | systemd | 228-150.82.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:0331-1 |
| SLE HPC 15 | systemd | 234-24.39.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:0335-1 |
| SUSE OpenStack Cloud Crowbar 8 | systemd | 228-150.82.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:0331-1 |
| SUSE OpenStack Cloud 8 | systemd | 228-150.82.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:0331-1 |
| SUSE OpenStack Cloud 7 | systemd | 228-150.82.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:0331-1 |
| SUSE HPE Helion OpenStack 8 | systemd | 228-150.82.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:0331-1 |
| SUSE Enterprise Storage 5 | systemd | 228-150.82.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:0331-1 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | systemd | 249.4-2.2 | openSUSE-SU-2024:11420-1 |
| openSUSE Leap 15.1 | systemd +1 | 234-lp151.26.7.1 | openSUSE-SU-2020:0208-1 |
Amazon Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Linux 2 | systemd +9 | 219-57.amzn2.0.12 | ALAS2-2020-1388 |
Oracle Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oracle Linux 8 | systemd +7 | 239-18.0.2.el8_1.4 | ELSA-2020-0575 |
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.
Third-party code, not reviewed by us. Public PoCs are sometimes fake or contain malware. Read the code first and run it only in an isolated lab, against systems you are authorised to test.
GitHub 1 repository
-
davidajagbe/Vulnerability-assessment ★ 0 · Oct 21, 2026
CVE-2020-1712 is a High-severity heap use-after-free vulnerability (CWE-416) in systemd prior to version v245-rc1. Carrying a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.8 High, it occurs during asynchronous Polkit queries…
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
Advisories 15
- WID-SEC-2026-4026 Red Hat OpenShift: Mehrere Schwachstellen BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Oct 18, 2026
- RHSA-2020:0564 Red Hat Security Advisory: systemd security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Oct 15, 2026
- RHSA-2020:0575 Red Hat Security Advisory: systemd security and bug fix update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Oct 15, 2026
- SSA-398330 SSA-398330: Vulnerabilities in the additional GNU/Linux subsystem of the SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1518(F)-4 PN/DP MFP >= V3.1.0 and < V3.1.5 Siemens ProductCERT · Oct 13, 2026
- USN-4269-1 systemd vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Apr 27, 2026
- DLA-3063-1 systemd - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2020:0208-1 Security update for systemd SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2020:0335-1 Security update for systemd SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2020:0331-1 Security update for systemd SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-RU-2020:0793-1 Recommended update for systemd SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2024:11420-1 libsystemd0-249.4-2.2 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2020:0353-1 Security update for systemd SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- ICSA-23-348-10 Siemens SIMATIC S7-1500 CISA ICS & IT advisories · Aug 12, 2025
- ELSA-2020-0575 Important: systemd security and bug fix update (Oracle Linux 8) Oracle Linux Security Advisories (ELSA) · Feb 25, 2020
- ALAS2-2020-1388 Moderate: systemd security update (Amazon Linux 2) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Feb 8, 2020
References
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2020-1712
- https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2020/02/05/1
- https://github.com/systemd/systemd/commit/ea0d0ede03c6f18dbc5036c5e9cccf97e415ccc2
- https://github.com/systemd/systemd/commit/1068447e6954dc6ce52f099ed174c442cb89ed54
- https://github.com/systemd/systemd/commit/637486261528e8aa3da9f26a4487dc254f4b7abb
- https://github.com/systemd/systemd/commit/bc130b6858327b382b07b3985cf48e2aa9016b2d
- [debian-lts-announce] 20220630 [SECURITY] [DLA 3063-1] systemd security update mailing-list