KDE kdelibs before 4.14.32 and KAuth before 5.34 allow local users to gain root privileges by spoofing a callerID and leveraging a privilege
KDE kdelibs before 4.14.32 and KAuth before 5.34 allow local users to gain root privileges by spoofing a callerID and leveraging a privileged helper app.
- Published
- May 17, 2017
- Updated
- Jun 16, 2026
- EPSS
- 1.8% · 78th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-290
Sign in to follow · You’ll be notified if a followed record enters KEV, gets an exploit or is updated.
Report tools
Action score
32
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 31 / 40 · 7.8 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 1 / 30 · 1.8%
Affected systems
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- kde kauthup to 5.33 inclusive
- kde kdelibsup to 4.14.31 inclusive
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | kauth | before 5.28.0-2 | 5.28.0-2 |
| Debian:7 | kde4libs | before 4:4.8.4-4+deb7u3 | 4:4.8.4-4+deb7u3 |
| Debian:8 | kde4libs | before 4:4.14.2-5+deb8u2 | 4:4.14.2-5+deb8u2 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | kdelibs | before 6:4.14.8-6.el7_3 | 6:4.14.8-6.el7_3 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | kdelibs-apidocs | before 6:4.14.8-6.el7_3 | 6:4.14.8-6.el7_3 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | kdelibs-common | before 6:4.14.8-6.el7_3 | 6:4.14.8-6.el7_3 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | kdelibs-debuginfo | before 6:4.14.8-6.el7_3 | 6:4.14.8-6.el7_3 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | kdelibs-devel | before 6:4.14.8-6.el7_3 | 6:4.14.8-6.el7_3 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | kdelibs-ktexteditor | before 6:4.14.8-6.el7_3 | 6:4.14.8-6.el7_3 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 SP1 | kdelibs4 | before 4.12.0-10.1 | 4.12.0-10.1 |
| SUSE:Package Hub 12 SP1 | kauth | before 5.26.0-6.1 | 5.26.0-6.1 |
| SUSE:Package Hub 12 SP1 | kdelibs4 | before 4.14.25-8.2 | 4.14.25-8.2 |
| SUSE:Package Hub 12 SP1 | kdelibs4-apidocs | before 4.14.25-8.2 | 4.14.25-8.2 |
Same product
kde: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2019-7443KDE KAuth before 5.55 allows the passing of parameters with arbitrary types to helpers running as root over DBus via DBusHelperProxy.cpp.33Monitor
- CVE-2014-5033KDE kdelibs before 4.14 and kauth before 5.1 does not properly use D-Bus for communication with a polkit authority, which allows local users27Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| debian:kauth | 5.28.0-2 · Debian:12 | Package registry (OSV) |
| debian:kde4libs | 4:4.8.4-4+deb7u3 · Debian:7 | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:kdelibs | 6:4.14.8-6.el7_3 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:kdelibs-apidocs | 6:4.14.8-6.el7_3 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:kdelibs-common | 6:4.14.8-6.el7_3 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:kdelibs-debuginfo | 6:4.14.8-6.el7_3 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:kdelibs-devel | 6:4.14.8-6.el7_3 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:kdelibs-ktexteditor | 6:4.14.8-6.el7_3 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | Package registry (OSV) |
| suse:kauth | 5.26.0-6.1 · SUSE:Package Hub 12 SP1 | Package registry (OSV) |
| suse:kdelibs4 | 4.12.0-10.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 SP1 | Package registry (OSV) |
| suse:kdelibs4-apidocs | 4.14.25-8.2 · SUSE:Package Hub 12 SP1 | Package registry (OSV) |
Exploit status
Proof of concept available
A public proof of concept or detection signature exists. Exploit knowledge is out there; don't delay patching.
Evidence
- Exploit-DB entry ×1
Noroxi does not host or link to exploit code. Metasploit module names and Nuclei template ids are shown (names, not code); Exploit-DB entries and PoC repositories are given as counts only.
| Source | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Exploit-DB entry | local | 2017-05-18 |
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
- Published
- First PoC+1 d
- TodaySep 30, 2026+3423 d
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
- A low-privileged account is enough.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- high · data can be read
- Integrity
- high · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- high · the service can be disrupted
- Attack vector
- Local
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- High
- Integrity impact
- High
- Availability impact
- High
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-290 · Authentication Bypass by SpoofingCVSS vector
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
nvd-primary
Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
- Exploitation of Trusted IdentifiersCAPEC-21likelihood: High · High
- Exploiting Trust in ClientCAPEC-22likelihood: High · High
- Creating a Rogue Certification Authority CertificateCAPEC-459likelihood: Medium · Very High
- Web Services API Signature Forgery Leveraging Hash Function Extension WeaknessCAPEC-461High
- Signature SpoofCAPEC-473
- Signature Spoofing by MisrepresentationCAPEC-476likelihood: Low · High
- Session Credential Falsification through PredictionCAPEC-59likelihood: High · High
- Reusing Session IDs (aka Session Replay)CAPEC-60likelihood: High · High
ATT&CK techniques
- Masquerading: Invalid Code SignatureT1036.001
- Access Token ManipulationT1134
- Access Token Manipulation:Token Impersonation/TheftT1134.001
- Steal Application Access TokenT1528
- Steal Web Session CookieT1539
- Use Alternate Authentication Material:Web Session CookieT1550.004
- Subvert Trust Controls: Code SigningT1553.002
- Adversary-in-the-MiddleT1557
Noroxi analysis
No Noroxi analysis for this record yet
We don't hand-write analysis for all 385,000+ vulnerabilities; that wouldn't be honest. For notable, high-impact vulnerabilities our team writes the mechanism, detection and remediation steps.
We use this product, ask for helpChange log
- Fix✗ → ✓
For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →
References
- www.debian.org/security/2017/dsa-3849
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2017/05/10/3
- www.securityfocus.com/bid/98412
- www.securitytracker.com/id/1038480
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:1264
- bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1449647
- cgit.kde.org/kauth.git/commit/?id=df875f725293af53399f5146362eb158b4f9216a
- cgit.kde.org/kdelibs.git/commit/?id=264e97625abe2e0334f97de17f6ffb52582888ab
- security.gentoo.org/glsa/201706-29
- www.exploit-db.com/exploits/42053/
- www.kde.org/info/security/advisory-20170510-1.txt
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.