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CVE-2026-4897· NVD / CVE Program· CNA redhat

Polkit: polkit: denial of service via unbounded input processing through standard input

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 22/100)

  • The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.15% (FIRST EPSS).
  • 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.
  • Fixed version: azl3 polkit 123-3 on Azure Linux 3.0 123-4; azl3 polkit 123-4 on Azure Linux 3.0 123-4; cbl2 polkit 0.119-4 on CBL Mariner 2.0 0.119-5.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to azl3 polkit 123-3 on Azure Linux 3.0 123-4; azl3 polkit 123-4 on Azure Linux 3.0 123-4; cbl2 polkit 0.119-4 on CBL Mariner 2.0 0.119-5 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

A flaw was found in polkit. A local user can exploit this by providing a specially crafted, excessively long input to the `polkit-agent-helper-1` setuid binary via standard input (stdin). This unbounded input can lead to an out-of-memory (OOM) condition, resulting in a Denial of Service (DoS) for the system.

MediumCVSS 5.5 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
Mar 26, 2026
Updated
Sep 10, 2026
EPSS
0.1% · 3th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

22

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
22 / 40 · 5.5 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.1%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical impact
partial

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
—
CNA · redhat
5.5
NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • No public exploit code on record
  • A fix has been released

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Follow CVE-2026-4897

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
freedesktoppolkit
redhatopenshift container platform
redhatenterprise linux

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • freedesktop polkitall versions
  • redhat enterprise linux10.0
  • redhat enterprise linux6.0
  • redhat enterprise linux7.0
  • redhat enterprise linux8.0
  • redhat enterprise linux9.0
  • redhat openshift container platform4.0

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (redhat). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10

    • 0:125-4.el10_2.1 and laternot affected · rpm

  • Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6

    • all versionsaffected

  • Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7

    • all versionsaffected

  • Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8

    • all versionsaffected

  • Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9

    • all versionsaffected

  • Red Hat Red Hat Hardened Images

    • 127-5.1.hum1 and laternot affected · rpm

  • Red Hat Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4

    • all versionsaffected
    • all versionsaffected

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
AlmaLinux:10polkitbefore 125-4.el10_2.1125-4.el10_2.1
AlmaLinux:10polkit-develbefore 125-4.el10_2.1125-4.el10_2.1
AlmaLinux:10polkit-docsbefore 125-4.el10_2.1125-4.el10_2.1
AlmaLinux:10polkit-libsbefore 125-4.el10_2.1125-4.el10_2.1
Debian:12policykit-1from 0—
Debian:14policykit-1before 127-3127-3
openSUSE:Leap 16.0polkitbefore 123-160000.3.1123-160000.3.1
openSUSE:Tumbleweedpolkitbefore 127-3.1127-3.1
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:10.2polkitbefore 0:125-4.el10_2.10:125-4.el10_2.1
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:10.2polkit-debuginfobefore 0:125-4.el10_2.10:125-4.el10_2.1
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:10.2polkit-debugsourcebefore 0:125-4.el10_2.10:125-4.el10_2.1
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:10.2polkit-develbefore 0:125-4.el10_2.10:125-4.el10_2.1
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:10.2polkit-docsbefore 0:125-4.el10_2.10:125-4.el10_2.1
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:10.2polkit-libsbefore 0:125-4.el10_2.10:125-4.el10_2.1
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:10.2polkit-libs-debuginfobefore 0:125-4.el10_2.10:125-4.el10_2.1
Red Hat:hummingbird:1polkitbefore 0:127-5.1.hum10:127-5.1.hum1
Red Hat:hummingbird:1polkit-develbefore 0:127-5.1.hum10:127-5.1.hum1
Red Hat:hummingbird:1polkit-docsbefore 0:127-5.1.hum10:127-5.1.hum1
Red Hat:hummingbird:1polkit-libsbefore 0:127-5.1.hum10:127-5.1.hum1
Rocky Linux:10polkitbefore 0:125-4.el10_2.10:125-4.el10_2.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.5polkitbefore 121-150500.3.11.1121-150500.3.11.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.5polkitbefore 121-150500.3.11.1121-150500.3.11.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server LTSS Extended Security 12 SP5polkitbefore 0.113-5.35.10.113-5.35.1
SUSE:Linux Micro 6.0polkitbefore 121-4.1121-4.1

+3

Same product

freedesktop: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2016-2568pkexec, when used with --user nonpriv, allows local users to escape to the parent session via a crafted TIOCSTI ioctl call, which pushes cha
    31Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
azl3 polkit 123-3 on Azure Linux 3.0123-4 · CBL-Mariner ReleasesMicrosoft (MSRC)
azl3 polkit 123-4 on Azure Linux 3.0123-4 · CBL-Mariner ReleasesMicrosoft (MSRC)
cbl2 polkit 0.119-4 on CBL Mariner 2.00.119-5 · CBL-Mariner ReleasesMicrosoft (MSRC)
cbl2 polkit 0.119-4 on CBL-Mariner 2.00.119-5 · Release NotesMicrosoft (MSRC)
almalinux:polkit125-4.el10_2.1 · AlmaLinux:10Package registry (OSV)
almalinux:polkit-devel125-4.el10_2.1 · AlmaLinux:10Package registry (OSV)
almalinux:polkit-docs125-4.el10_2.1 · AlmaLinux:10Package registry (OSV)
almalinux:polkit-libs125-4.el10_2.1 · AlmaLinux:10Package registry (OSV)
debian:policykit-1127-3 · Debian:14Package registry (OSV)
opensuse:polkit121-150500.3.11.1 · openSUSE:Leap 15.6Package registry (OSV)
red hat:polkit0:125-4.el10_2.1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:10.2Package registry (OSV)
red hat:polkit-debuginfo0:125-4.el10_2.1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:10.2Package registry (OSV)
red hat:polkit-debugsource0:125-4.el10_2.1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:10.2Package registry (OSV)
red hat:polkit-devel0:125-4.el10_2.1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:10.2Package registry (OSV)
red hat:polkit-docs0:125-4.el10_2.1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:10.2Package registry (OSV)
red hat:polkit-libs0:125-4.el10_2.1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:10.2Package registry (OSV)
red hat:polkit-libs-debuginfo0:125-4.el10_2.1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:10.2Package registry (OSV)
rocky linux:polkit0:125-4.el10_2.1 · Rocky Linux:10Package registry (OSV)
suse:expat2.7.1-160000.5.1 · SUSE:Linux Micro 6.2Package registry (OSV)
suse:polkit121-150500.3.11.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.5Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

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.

No dated events beyond publication.

EPSS, last 120 days

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.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, 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
none
Integrity
none
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
None
Integrity impact
None
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-770 · Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

nvd-secondary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

Show all references (3 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records