Overview
The Red Hat polkit pkexec utility contains an out-of-bounds read and write vulnerability that allows for privilege escalation with administrative rights.
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-4034
Key Details
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| CVE ID | CVE-2021-4034 |
| Vendor / Product | Red Hat — Polkit |
| NVD Published | 2022-01-28 |
| NVD Last Modified | 2025-11-06 |
| CVSS 3.1 Score | 7.8 |
| CVSS 3.1 Vector | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| Severity | HIGH |
| CWE | CWE-787 |
| CISA KEV Added | 2022-06-27 |
| CISA KEV Deadline | 2022-07-18 |
| Known Ransomware Use | No |
CVSS 3.1 Breakdown
Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High
Required Action
CISA BOD 22-01 Deadline: 2022-07-18.
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2022-06-27 | Added to CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog |
| 2022-07-18 | CISA BOD 22-01 remediation deadline |
References
| Resource | Type |
|---|---|
| NVD — CVE-2021-4034 | Vulnerability Database |
| CISA KEV Catalog Entry | US Government |