HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2014-5033
MEDIUM

CVE-2014-5033

CWE-362Published: August 19, 2014· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

6.9
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

KDE kdelibs before 4.14 and kauth before 5.1 does not properly use D-Bus for communication with a polkit authority, which allows local users to bypass intended access restrictions by leveraging a PolkitUnixProcess PolkitSubject race condition via a (1) setuid process or (2) pkexec process, related to CVE-2013-4288 and "PID reuse race conditions."

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2014-5033 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.

Exploitation requires some privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorLocal
Attack ComplexityM
Privileges Req.
User Interaction
Scope
Impact
ConfidentialityC
IntegrityC
AvailabilityC
AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Affected Vendors & Products

Canonical1 product(s)
ubuntu linux
Debian1 product(s)
kde4libs
kde2 product(s)
kauthkdelibs
Source: NVD CPE · 38 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
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Official Patches & Advisories

All References (20)

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2014-5033
CVSS Score6.9 / 10
SeverityMEDIUM
WeaknessCWE-362
CISA KEVNo
Affected3 vendor(s)
PublishedAug 19, 2014

Related CVEs (CWE-362)

Recommended Actions

  • Apply vendor patches immediately
  • Monitor CVE-2014-5033 in threat intel feeds
  • Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.