CVE-2011-4945 json
PolicyKit 0.103 sets the AdminIdentities to "wheel" by default, which allows local users in the wheel group to gain root privileges without…
published 2012-10-01 14 y ago modified 2026-06-16 4 mo ago also EUVD-2011-4854
- cvss
- 6.9
- version 2.0, NVD
- cisa kev
- Not listed
- not in CISA's catalog
- epss
- 0.4%
- EPSS 0.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days, percentile 29%
- public exploits
- 0
- none known
Summary
PolicyKit 0.103 sets the AdminIdentities to "wheel" by default, which allows local users in the wheel group to gain root privileges without authentication.
Patch / fix
- policykit-1 Debian 14, Debian 13, Debian 12 0.103-1
debian advisories DEBIAN-CVE-2011-4945
Vendor advisories
What the vendors themselves say about their products: affected, fixed or not affected, and what to do.
red hat product security vex CVE-2011-4945 updated cvss 6.8
polkit: Members of 'wheel' group allowed to become root without providing a password
-
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 polkit, polkit-desktop-policynot affected: vulnerable code not present
Red Hat CSAF VEX © Red Hat, Inc., from https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/; changed: reduced to product statuses and remediations. CC BY 4.0 · csaf
Exploit prediction
0.35% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 29% of all scored CVEs (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-09).
CVSS scores
| assigned by | version | score | vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVD | 2.0 | 6.9 | AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C |
Classification
- Weakness
-
- CWE-264 Permissions, Privileges, and Access Controls
References
- cgit.freedesktop.org /PolicyKit/commit/?id=763faf434b445c20ae9529100d3ef5290976d0c9
-
security.gentoo.org
/glsa/glsa-201204-06.xml
vendor-advisory
-
openwall.com
/lists/oss-security/2012/03/28/2
mailing-list
- bugs.gentoo.org /show_bug.cgi?id=401513
- patch-tracker.debian.org /patch/series/view/policykit-1/0.104-2/05_revert-admin-identities-unix-group-wheel.patch
- launchpad.net /ubuntu/+source/policykit-1/0.103-1
-
mail-archive.com
/polkit-devel%40lists.freedesktop.org/msg00327.html
mailing-list
-
secunia.com
/advisories/48817
third-party-advisory
-
openwall.com
/lists/oss-security/2012/03/28/1
mailing-list
Sources
- CVE List CVE-2011-4945
- NVD CVE-2011-4945
Fencer Intel keeps one entry per vulnerability: the CVE id wins, then GHSA, and records that alias each other are merged, except that two CVEs always keep separate entries. The same data is available as JSON.