PackageKit Privilege Escalation Vulnerability Advisory (CVSS 8.8)
Summary
CERT-Bund published security advisory WID-SEC-2026-1233 on 21 April 2026 alerting to a privilege escalation vulnerability in Open Source PackageKit versions prior to 1.3.5. The vulnerability carries a CVSS Base Score of 8.8 (high) and a Temporal Score of 7.7 (high). Remote attack is not possible; exploitation requires local access to the affected system. CERT-Bund indicates a mitigation is available and recommends affected organisations apply patches or workarounds promptly.
“Ein lokaler Angreifer kann eine Schwachstelle in PackageKit ausnutzen, um seine Privilegien zu erhöhen.”
Linux system administrators should immediately inventory PackageKit installations and verify whether version 1.3.5 or later is deployed. Given the CVSS 8.8 rating and the nature of privilege escalation flaws, unpatched systems present a high-risk target for any actor who can gain local access — including compromised user accounts or malicious insiders. CERT-Bund notes a mitigation exists, so patch availability should be confirmed with distribution vendors.
About this source
GovPing monitors CERT-Bund Security Advisories for new data privacy & cybersecurity regulatory changes. Every update since tracking began is archived, classified, and available as free RSS or email alerts — 368 changes logged to date.
What changed
CERT-Bund issued a security advisory identifying a privilege escalation vulnerability in Open Source PackageKit (versions below 1.3.5) with a CVSS Base Score of 8.8, indicating high severity. The vulnerability allows a local attacker to elevate privileges on an affected Linux system. Remote exploitation is not possible, but local access is sufficient for exploitation.
Organisations running Linux systems with PackageKit installed should verify their version and apply available patches or mitigations as recommended by CERT-Bund. IT security teams should prioritise patching PackageKit installations given the high CVSS score and the availability of working exploit concepts for privilege escalation vulnerabilities of this type.
Archived snapshot
Apr 22, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
[WID-SEC-2026-1233] PackageKit: Schwachstelle ermöglicht Privilegieneskalation CVSS Base Score 8.8 (hoch) CVSS Temporal Score 7.7 (hoch) Remoteangriff nein Datum 21.04.2026 Stand 22.04.2026 Mitigation ja
Betroffene Systeme
Betriebssystem
- Linux
Produktbeschreibung
PackageKit ist eine Sammlung von Tools und Bibliotheken, die die Installation, Aktualisierung und Entfernung von Software auf verschiedenen Linux-Distributionen vereinfacht.
Produkte
21.04.2026
- Open Source PackageKit <1.3.5
Angriff
Angriff
Ein lokaler Angreifer kann eine Schwachstelle in PackageKit ausnutzen, um seine Privilegien zu erhöhen. CVE Informationen Versionshistorie Feedback zum Advisory geben
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