# CVE-2021-3560: Red Hat Polkit Incorrect Authorization Vulnerability

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2021-3560-red-hat-polkit-incorrect-authorization-vulnerability  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2023-05-12. Updated: 2026-05-10  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2021-3560 · Severity: critical · CVSS 7.8 · Exploited in the wild · Published 2023-05-12

Polkit (formerly PolicyKit) contains a vulnerability where it can be tricked into bypassing credential checks for D-Bus requests. This allows an unprivileged local attacker to escalate privileges to root, potentially creating new administrator accounts.

Technologies: [Red Hat Polkit](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/polkit). Vendors: [Red Hat](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/red-hat).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2021-3560 exploited in the wild?** Yes. CVE-2021-3560 is known to be exploited in the wild, first recorded on 12 May 2023. Treat it as urgent.

**How severe is CVE-2021-3560?** Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 7.8, published 12 May 2023.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Polkit Project Polkit up to (excluding) 0.119; Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.0, 8.0; Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.7; Red Hat Virtualization 4.0; and 2 more.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2021-3560?** No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

**How is CVE-2021-3560 attacked?** It is attacked with local access, in an operating system.

**Am I affected by CVE-2021-3560?** Check whether you run Red Hat Polkit. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## Affected products

- Polkit Project Polkit up to (excluding) 0.119
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.0, 8.0
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.7
- Red Hat Virtualization 4.0
- Canonical Ubuntu Linux 20.04
- Debian Debian Linux 11.0

## Timeline

- 2021-06-10: disclosed: Public disclosure of the vulnerability via GitHub blog.
- 2022-02-16: other: NVD Published Date.
- 2023-05-12: kev added: Added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog.

## Related threats

- [Red Hat Polkit Out-of-Bounds Read and Write Vulnerability](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2021-4034-red-hat-polkit-out-of-bounds-read-and-write-vulnerability)