CSIRTS // UNIFIED SECURITY ADVISORY FEEDSYS ● ONLINE · POWERED BY INTELFUSIONS.COM

CVE-2016-2568

highCVSS 7.8covered by 1 sourcefirst seen 2026-08-06

CSIRTS triage

What
pkexec with --user flag allows local users to escape the target session and return to the parent session with elevated privileges.
Who is affected
Systems with Polkit installed where unprivileged users can execute pkexec with --user parameter.
Urgency
High; CVSS 7.8 and local privilege escalation with straightforward exploitation path.
Action
Upgrade Polkit to a version that fixes session boundary enforcement or disable pkexec --user functionality.

AI-assisted analysis generated from the source advisory — verify against the original.

⚡ Watch CVE-2016-2568

Get an email if CVE-2016-2568 is added to CISA KEV, gains public exploit code, or a new advisory cites it — max one per day, one-click unsubscribe.

Exploitation outlook

Advisory coverage (1)

External references

NVD record for CVE-2016-2568

CVE.org record

Embed the live status

CVE-2016-2568 live status badge — this badge updates automatically when the KEV or exploit status changes. How to embed it →

[![CVE-2016-2568 status](https://www.csirts.com/badge/CVE-2016-2568)](https://www.csirts.com/cve/CVE-2016-2568)