VulnerabilityModified
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.
MEDIUM 6.9EPSS 0.35%
Does this matter?
Lower severity and a low EPSS score (0.35%). Track it; it rarely justifies an emergency change on its own.
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.
- CVSS 2.0
- 6.9 MEDIUMAV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
- EPSS
- 0.35% probability · 29th percentile
- Public exploits
- None in Exploit-DB
- CISA KEV
- Not listed
- Weakness
- CWE-264
- Affected
- michael biebl/policykit
- Source
- secalert@redhat.com
EPSS 0.4% since 26 October 2026; no change recorded yet. Points are recorded when the score first appears and whenever it moves by a percentage point or more.
References
- http://cgit.freedesktop.org/PolicyKit/commit/?id=763faf434b445c20ae9529100d3ef5290976d0c9
- http://patch-tracker.debian.org/patch/series/view/policykit-1/0.104-2/05_revert-admin-identities-unix-group-wheel.patch
- http://secunia.com/advisories/48817
- http://security.gentoo.org/glsa/glsa-201204-06.xml
- http://www.mail-archive.com/polkit-devel%40lists.freedesktop.org/msg00327.html
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/03/28/1
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/03/28/2
- https://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=401513
- https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/policykit-1/0.103-1
- http://cgit.freedesktop.org/PolicyKit/commit/?id=763faf434b445c20ae9529100d3ef5290976d0c9
- http://patch-tracker.debian.org/patch/series/view/policykit-1/0.104-2/05_revert-admin-identities-unix-group-wheel.patch
- http://secunia.com/advisories/48817
- http://security.gentoo.org/glsa/glsa-201204-06.xml
- http://www.mail-archive.com/polkit-devel%40lists.freedesktop.org/msg00327.html
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/03/28/1
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/03/28/2
- https://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=401513
- https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/policykit-1/0.103-1
Source: NVD record, EPSS from FIRST.org, KEV from CISA, exploits from Exploit-DB. Refreshed daily. Download this record as JSON.