Vulnerability Description
A flaw was found in PackageKit. PackageKit skips the polkit authorization check for transactions carrying the SIMULATE (dry-run) flag. In the dnf5 backend, the RepoRemove handler ignores that contract and always executes the real transaction because its guard is written as (role == REPO_REMOVE || !SIMULATE), which is always true for RepoRemove. An unprivileged local user can therefore perform a genuine package uninstall while claiming to simulate. This vulnerability only affects systems using PackageKit with the dnf5 backend.
CVSS Score
HIGH
Related Weaknesses (CWE)
References
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2515940
- https://github.com/PackageKit/PackageKit/commit/33be77b3ecd3b566ca117358dc18c58c
- https://github.com/PackageKit/PackageKit/security/advisories/GHSA-g5gf-h68q-gxc8
FAQ
What is CVE-2026-19816?
CVE-2026-19816 is a vulnerability with a CVSS score of 7.1 (HIGH). A flaw was found in PackageKit. PackageKit skips the polkit authorization check for transactions carrying the SIMULATE (dry-run) flag. In the dnf5 backend, the RepoRemove handler ignores that contract...
How severe is CVE-2026-19816?
CVE-2026-19816 has been rated HIGH with a CVSS base score of 7.1/10. Review the CVSS metrics above for detailed severity breakdown.
Is there a patch for CVE-2026-19816?
Check the references section above for vendor advisories and patch information. Review vendor security bulletins for remediation guidance.