CVE-2011-4945
PolicyKit 0.103 sets the AdminIdentities to "wheel" by default, which allows local users in the wheel group to gain root privileges without authentication.
02 Description
PolicyKit 0.103 sets the AdminIdentities to "wheel" by default, which allows local users in the wheel group to gain root privileges without authentication.
03 Exploitation and scoring
- Exploitation
- Not assessed. CISA has not published an exploitation assessment for this record, and it is not in the KEV catalog. That is an absence of assessment, not a finding of no risk.
- SSVC decision
- Not assessed by CISA
- EPSS probability
- 0.35% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days.
- EPSS percentile
- Equal to or higher than the score of 28.5% of scored records. A rank, not a probability.
- NVD base score
- The NVD has published no score for this record
- NVD CVSS vector
- No NVD score to derive
- NVD analysis status
- Modified. NVD last modified this record on 2026-06-16.
- Red Hat severity
- Important. Red Hat's rating for its own products, not a CVSS rating.
Exploit-prediction scores from FIRST. Independent scoring and analysis status from the NVD. Vendor severity from Red Hat. Exploitation assessment and catalog membership from CISA.
04 Metadata
- Published
- 2012-10-01 23:00Z14 YR AGO
- Last updated
- 2024-08-07 00:23Z2 YR AGO
- Reserved
- 2011-12-23
- Assigning CNA
- redhat
- Record state
- PUBLISHED
- Severity
- Not rated by the issuing CNA
- CNA CVSS vector
- Not published by the issuing CNA
- Weaknesses
- Data version
- 5.1
- Document digest
- 731da65770ad72e5e33373cb121522a2f7e72c6b43762c38183ce007b3785e78
05 Affected products
06 References
- www.openwall.com[oss-security] 20120327 Re: CVE Request: PolicyKit change allows users in "wheel" group to become root without a passwordhttp://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/03/28/2
- bugs.gentoo.orghttps://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=401513
- patch-tracker.debian.orghttp://patch-tracker.debian.org/patch/series/view/policykit-1/0.104-2/05_revert-admin-identities-unix-group-wheel.patch
- launchpad.nethttps://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/policykit-1/0.103-1
- www.mail-archive.com[polkit-devel] 20111206 polkit 0.103http://www.mail-archive.com/polkit-devel%40lists.freedesktop.org/msg00327.html
- security.gentoo.orgGLSA-201204-06http://security.gentoo.org/glsa/glsa-201204-06.xml
- secunia.com48817http://secunia.com/advisories/48817
- cgit.freedesktop.orghttp://cgit.freedesktop.org/PolicyKit/commit/?id=763faf434b445c20ae9529100d3ef5290976d0c9
- www.openwall.com[oss-security] 20120327 CVE Request: PolicyKit change allows users in "wheel" group to become root without a passwordhttp://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/03/28/1
07 Fixed in
Debian 12
- policykit-1 Fixed in 0.103-1
Source: Debian Security Tracker, the Debian security team. Received through OSV.dev. Reformatted by exploit.cc.
Debian 13
- policykit-1 Fixed in 0.103-1
Source: Debian Security Tracker, the Debian security team. Received through OSV.dev. Reformatted by exploit.cc.
Debian 14
- policykit-1 Fixed in 0.103-1
Source: Debian Security Tracker, the Debian security team. Received through OSV.dev. Reformatted by exploit.cc.
A release or ecosystem missing from this list has no record here. It may be unaffected or not covered by the source. Source notices and licences.