Description
A flaw was found in polkit. When processing input that begins with a null byte, an arithmetic error in the authentication agent helper causes an integer underflow during buffer length calculation, resulting in an out-of-bounds memory read. An attacker capable of supplying crafted input can trigger this flaw, potentially causing an application crash and resulting in a Denial of Service (DoS).
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat | Red Hat Hardened Images | — | — |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | — | — |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | — | — |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | — | — |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | — | — |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | — | — |
| Red Hat | Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 | — | — |
| Red Hat | Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5 | — | — |
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 | policykit-1 | 128-1 | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | policykit-1 | 127-2ubuntu1.1 | USN-8762-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | policykit-1 | 124-2ubuntu1.24.04.4 | USN-8762-1 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | policykit-1 | 0.105-33ubuntu0.2 | USN-8762-1 |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | policykit-1 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | policykit-1 | No fix yet | — |
Show 2 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS | policykit-1 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 14.04 LTS | policykit-1 | No fix yet | — |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Hardened Images 1 | polkit +3 | 127-5.1.hum1 | RHSA-2026:66287 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | polkit | 128-1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:12203-1 |
Amazon Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Linux 2023 | polkit +3 | 125-1.amzn2023.0.4 | ALAS2023-2026-3379 |
Advisories 4
- ALAS2023-2026-3379 Moderate: polkit security update (Amazon Linux 2023) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Nov 9, 2026
- USN-8762-1 policykit-1 vulnerability Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Oct 29, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2026:12203-1 libpolkit-agent-1-0-128-1.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Oct 21, 2026
- RHSA-2026:66287 Red Hat Security Advisory: Red Hat Hardened Images RPMs Security Update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Oct 6, 2026
References
- RHSA-2026:66287 vendor-advisory
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-85498 vdb-entry
- RHBZ#2528347 issue-tracking