CVE-2012-5617: gksu-polkit: permissive PolicyKit policy configuration file allows privilege escalation

Routine

HIGH 7.8MITIGATEMITIGATE

CVE-2012-5617 is a high-severity flaw (CVSS 7.8) affecting gksu-polkit, fedora. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

gksu-polkit: permissive PolicyKit policy configuration file allows privilege escalation

Why this priority

High severity

No fix is published yet: follow the downgrade or mitigation steps.

Risk facts

CVSS score	7.8 (High)
Attack vector	Local
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	Low
User interaction	None
EPSS exploit chance	0.4% (top 68%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-269
Published	2019-11-25
Last modified	2026-06-16

Publisher (CNA): Red Hat, Inc. · Vendor: fedoraproject · gksu-polkit project

Last updated 2026-06-16 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2019-11-25 14:15 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-16 23:47 UTCUpdated Record last modified

gksu-polkit project gksu-polkit MITIGATE

Affected: all versions

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy gksu-polkit || rpm -q gksu-polkit || gksu-polkit --version

No fixed or unaffected release known

Apply the vendor mitigation from the advisory, disable the affected feature, or restrict network access.

fedoraproject fedora MITIGATE

Affected: 18 · 19

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 18

Check your OS release

cat /etc/os-release; uname -r

Debian / Ubuntu

sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade

RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

Windows

Install the latest cumulative update from Windows Update

If no patch exists yet

OS downgrades are not safe. Apply the vendor mitigation from the advisory and restrict exposure.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2012-5617?

gksu-polkit: mitigate or apply the listed mitigation; fedora: mitigate or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2012-5617 being exploited?

CVE-2012-5617 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2012-5617 affect?

CVE-2012-5617 affects gksu-polkit, fedora. Severity is high (CVSS 7.8). gksu-polkit: permissive PolicyKit policy configuration file allows privilege escalation

How urgent is CVE-2012-5617?

Priority 35/100. High severity

Related CVEs

CVE-2013-4161 HIGH 7.8 DOWNGRADE MITIGATE gksu-polkit-0.0.3-6.fc18 was reported as fixing the issue in CVE-2012-5617 but the patch was improperly applie
CVE-2011-0703 CRITICAL 9.8 UPGRADE MITIGATE In gksu-polkit before 0.0.3, the source file for xauth may contain arbitrary commands that may allow an attack

References

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