CVE-2019-13272: Linux Kernel Improper Privilege Management Vulnerability

Q: How do I fix CVE-2019-13272?

linux kernel: upgrade to 3.16.71, 4.2, 4.4.185, 4.9, 4.9.185, 4.14.133, 4.19.58, 5.1.17; debian linux: mitigate or apply the listed mitigation; fedora: mitigate or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Q: Is CVE-2019-13272 being exploited?

Yes. CVE-2019-13272 is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list, so treat it as patch-now.

Q: What does CVE-2019-13272 affect?

CVE-2019-13272 affects linux kernel, debian linux, fedora. Severity is high (CVSS 7.8). In the Linux kernel before 5.1.17, ptrace_link in kernel/ptrace.c mishandles the recording of the credentials of a process that wants to create a ptrace relationship, which allows local users to obtain root access by leveraging certain scen

Q: How urgent is CVE-2019-13272?

Priority 87/100. High severity; EPSS top 1%: very likely to be exploited; Exploited in the wild (CISA KEV); Public exploit reference; On your watchlist

Patch now

HIGH 7.8EXPLOITEDWATCHLISTUPGRADEMITIGATEMITIGATE

CVE-2019-13272 is a high-severity flaw (CVSS 7.8) affecting linux kernel, debian linux, fedora, reported as exploited in the wild. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

In the Linux kernel before 5.1.17, ptrace_link in kernel/ptrace.c mishandles the recording of the credentials of a process that wants to create a ptrace relationship, which allows local users to obtain root access by leveraging certain scenarios with a parent-child process relationship, where a parent drops privileges and calls execve (potentially allowing control by an attacker). One contributing factor is an object lifetime issue (which can als

Why this priority

High severity
EPSS top 1%: very likely to be exploited
Exploited in the wild (CISA KEV)
Public exploit reference
On your watchlist

A fixed release or distro patch exists.

Risk facts

CVSS score	7.8 (High)
Attack vector	Local
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	Low
User interaction	None
EPSS exploit chance	52.2% (top 1%)
CISA exploited list	Yes, fix due 2022-06-10
Published	2019-07-17
Last modified	2026-06-17

Publisher (CNA): MITRE · Vendor: canonical · debian · fedoraproject · linux · redhat

Last updated 2026-06-17 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2019-07-17 13:15 UTCPublished CVE record published
2021-12-10Exploited Added to the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list
2022-06-10Deadline CISA due date for US federal agencies to patch
2026-06-17 02:16 UTCUpdated Record last modified

linux linux kernel UPGRADE

Affected: >= 3.16.52 and < 3.16.71 · >= 4.1.39 and < 4.2 · >= 4.4.40 and < 4.4.185 · >= 4.8.16 and < 4.9 · >= 4.9.1 and < 4.9.185 · >= 4.10 and < 4.14.133 · >= 4.15 and < 4.19.58 · >= 4.20 and < 5.1.17

Fixed in: 3.16.71, 4.2, 4.4.185, 4.9, 4.9.185, 4.14.133, 4.19.58, 5.1.17

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

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.

debian debian linux MITIGATE

Affected: 8.0 · 9.0 · 10.0

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 8.0

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.

fedoraproject fedora MITIGATE

Affected: 29

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 29

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.

canonical ubuntu linux MITIGATE

Affected: 16.04 · 18.04 · 19.04

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 16.04

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.

redhat enterprise linux MITIGATE

Affected: 7.0 · 8.0

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 7.0

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.

redhat enterprise linux for arm 64 MITIGATE

Affected: 7.0_aarch64

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 7.0_aarch64

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.

Exact fixes by distribution

A distro patch exists: prefer upgrading over downgrading.

Fedora ELN · python-discovery · FIXED · 1.9.0-1.eln159 · FEDORA-2026-7a881c0c99 · source

sudo dnf upgrade --advisory=FEDORA-2026-7a881c0c99

Fedora 46 · pipx · FIXED · 1.18.11-1.fc46 · FEDORA-2026-443a765287 · source

sudo dnf upgrade --advisory=FEDORA-2026-443a765287

Ubuntu 22.04 · linux · NOT AFFECTED

Ubuntu 24.04 · linux · NOT AFFECTED

Ubuntu 20.04 · linux · NOT AFFECTED

Ubuntu 24.10 · linux · NOT AFFECTED

Ubuntu 25.04 · linux · NOT AFFECTED

Debian 12 · linux · FIXED · 4.19.37-6

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade linux dpkg --compare-versions "$(dpkg-query -W -f='${Version}' linux)" ge "4.19.37-6" && echo PATCHED || echo STILL-VULNERABLE

Debian 13 · linux · FIXED · 4.19.37-6

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade linux dpkg --compare-versions "$(dpkg-query -W -f='${Version}' linux)" ge "4.19.37-6" && echo PATCHED || echo STILL-VULNERABLE

RHEL 7 · kernel-alt · FIXED · kernel-alt-4.14.0-115.12.1.el7a

sudo dnf upgrade --advisory=RHSA-2019:2809 rpm -q kernel-alt

RHEL 8 · kernel-rt · FIXED · kernel-rt-4.18.0-80.7.2.rt9.154.el8_0

sudo dnf upgrade --advisory=RHSA-2019:2405 rpm -q kernel-rt

RHEL 8 · kernel · FIXED · kernel-4.18.0-80.7.2.el8_0

sudo dnf upgrade --advisory=RHSA-2019:2411 rpm -q kernel

RHEL 5 · kernel · NOT AFFECTED

RHEL 6 · kernel · NOT AFFECTED

Amazon Linux 2 · see advisory · FIXED · ALAS2-2019-1232 · source

sudo yum update --advisory=ALAS2-2019-1232

Amazon Linux 1 · see advisory · FIXED · ALAS-2019-1232 · source

sudo yum update --advisory=ALAS-2019-1232

Public exploits and detection

Public code exists for this CVE. Treat unpatched systems as at risk, and only run PoCs in a lab.

GitHub PoC: jas502n/CVE-2019-13272 (333 stars)
GitHub PoC: Cyc1eC/CVE-2019-13272 (5 stars)
GitHub PoC: oneoy/CVE-2019-13272 (4 stars)
Exploit-DB: Linux - Broken Permission and Object Lifetime Handling for PTRACE_TRACEME
Exploit-DB: Linux Kernel 4.10 < 5.1.17 - 'PTRACE_TRACEME' pkexec Local Privilege Escalation
Exploit-DB: Linux Kernel 5.1.x - 'PTRACE_TRACEME' pkexec Local Privilege Escalation (2)
Exploit-DB: Linux Polkit - pkexec helper PTRACE_TRACEME local root (Metasploit)
Metasploit: Linux Polkit pkexec helper PTRACE_TRACEME local root exploit

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · CISA KEV catalog · 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-2019-13272?

linux kernel: upgrade to 3.16.71, 4.2, 4.4.185, 4.9, 4.9.185, 4.14.133, 4.19.58, 5.1.17; debian linux: mitigate or apply the listed mitigation; fedora: mitigate or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2019-13272 being exploited?

Yes. CVE-2019-13272 is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list, so treat it as patch-now.

What does CVE-2019-13272 affect?

CVE-2019-13272 affects linux kernel, debian linux, fedora. Severity is high (CVSS 7.8). In the Linux kernel before 5.1.17, ptrace_link in kernel/ptrace.c mishandles the recording of the credentials of a process that wants to create a ptrace relationship, which allows local users to obtain root access by leveraging certain scen

How urgent is CVE-2019-13272?

Priority 87/100. High severity; EPSS top 1%: very likely to be exploited; Exploited in the wild (CISA KEV); Public exploit reference; On your watchlist

Software pages

Linux kernel vulnerabilities · Ubuntu vulnerabilities · Debian vulnerabilities

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References

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