KDE KAuth before 5.55 allows the passing of parameters with arbitrary types to helpers running as root over DBus via DBusHelperProxy.cpp. Certain types can cause crashes, and trigger the decoding of arbitrary images with dynamically loaded plugins. In other words, KAuth unintentionally causes this plugin code to run as root, which increases the severity of any possible exploitation of a plugin vulnerability.
This vulnerability carries a HIGH severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 8.1, indicating it can be exploited remotely over the network but requires specific conditions to be met without requiring user interaction and does not require pre-existing privileges . The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (data exposure), integrity (unauthorized modifications), and availability (service disruption) for affected systems. Impacting 5 products from kde, from opensuse, from opensuse and 2 others, organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.
First disclosed in 2019, this vulnerability was reported during a period defined by widespread IoT adoption challenges, mobile security concerns, and the emergence of advanced persistent threat (APT) techniques. Contemporary mitigation strategies focused on secure development practices and third-party component vetting.
2019-05-07T19:29:01.410
2024-11-21T04:48:14.897
Modified
CVSSv3.0: 8.1 (HIGH)
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
8.6
10.0
| Type | Vendor | Product | Version/Range | Vulnerable? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application | kde | kauth | < 5.55.0 | Yes |
| Operating System | opensuse | leap | 15.0 | Yes |
| Operating System | opensuse | leap | 42.3 | Yes |
| Application | opensuse | backports | - | Yes |
| Operating System | suse | linux_enterprise | 15.0 | No |
| Operating System | fedoraproject | fedora | 28 | Yes |
| Operating System | fedoraproject | fedora | 29 | Yes |
SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For kde's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.