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CVE-2021-4034VulnerabilityAdded to KEV 06/27/2022

CVE-2021-4034: Red Hat Polkit Out-of-Bounds Read and Write Vulnerability

Affects Red Hat PolkitSource CISA KEV

0

Exploited in the wild · used in ransomware campaigns · KEV due 18 Jul 2022 · public exploit available (Metasploit, Exploit-DB) · 94% EPSS : apply the vendor's fix or mitigations to Red Hat Polkit now.

Data as of 10/24/2026, 22:15:59 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
7.8High
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
Exploitation

Actively exploited – in CISA KEV since 06/27/2022

KEV deadline
07/18/2022 US federal agencies must patch by this date; a sensible deadline for everyone else.
Ransomware
Used in ransomware campaigns
EPSS
94.9% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 99% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Public exploits
1 Metasploit module, 1 Exploit-DB entryPublic attack or detection tooling exists; see Public exploits below.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

What to do

CISA required action

Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Public exploits and detection

Public tooling indexed from Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB and ProjectDiscovery nuclei-templates. Its existence raises the odds of exploitation; it does not confirm attacks.

Description

The Red Hat polkit pkexec utility contains an out-of-bounds read and write vulnerability that allows for privilege escalation with administrative rights.

Weaknesses

  • CWE-787Out-of-bounds Write (opens in a new tab)

    Base weaknessLikelihood of exploit: HighCWE Top 25 (2025): #5

    The product writes data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.

References

Community reviews

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