Polkit Int Underflow in Auth Agent Causing DoS
CVE-2026-85498 Published on October 29, 2026
Polkit: regression in cve-2026-4897 fix (polkit read_cookie()) - stack buffer underflow
A flaw was found in polkit. When processing input that begins with a null byte, an arithmetic error in the authentication agent helper causes an integer underflow during buffer length calculation, resulting in an out-of-bounds memory read. An attacker capable of supplying crafted input can trigger this flaw, potentially causing an application crash and resulting in a Denial of Service (DoS).
Vulnerability Analysis
Timeline
Reported to Red Hat.
Made public.
Weakness Type
Out-of-bounds Read
The software reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer. Typically, this can allow attackers to read sensitive information from other memory locations or cause a crash. A crash can occur when the code reads a variable amount of data and assumes that a sentinel exists to stop the read operation, such as a NUL in a string. The expected sentinel might not be located in the out-of-bounds memory, causing excessive data to be read, leading to a segmentation fault or a buffer overflow. The software may modify an index or perform pointer arithmetic that references a memory location that is outside of the boundaries of the buffer. A subsequent read operation then produces undefined or unexpected results.
Products Associated with CVE-2026-85498
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Affected Versions
Red Hat Hardened Images:- Version 127-5.1.hum1 and below * is unaffected.