CVE-2017-7572

The _checkPolkitPrivilege function in serviceHelper.py in Back In Time (aka backintime) 1.1.18 and earlier uses a deprecated polkit authorization method (unix-process) that is subject to a race condition (time of check, time of use). With this authorization method, the owner of a process requesting a polkit operation is checked by polkitd via /proc/<pid>/status, by which time the requesting process may have been replaced by a different process with the same PID that has different privileges then the original requester.

Published: 2017-04-06 Last update: 2026-06-16 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2017-7572 is rated Moderate Risk (54.1/100): CVSS High severity, with medium exploitation likelihood (EPSS 1.08%). Mandatory action: Review affected assets and schedule remediation.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2017-7572

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 0.65% 1.08% +0.43%
2 2025-03-30 1.14% 0.65% -0.49%
3 2025-03-29 1.14%

Full EPSS history (7 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2017-7572

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
8.1 3.0 HIGH
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
2.2 5.9 [email protected]
9.3 2.0 HIGH
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C Click to expand
Access vector (AV:N)
Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
Access complexity (AC:M)
Exploitation needs some favorable conditions, but not exceptional ones.
Authentication (AU:N)
No authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:C)
Complete confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:C)
Complete integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:C)
Complete availability impact.
8.6 10.0 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2017-7572

OS Trackers for CVE-2017-7572

vendor priority summary link
debian not yet assigned CVE-2017-7572 not yet assigned priority: Debian including 1 source packages (backintime), 5 status rows across 5 suites (bookworm, bullseye, forky, sid, trixie): resolved 5. https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2017-7572
ubuntu low CVE-2017-7572 low priority: Ubuntu including 1 source packages (backintime), 10 status rows across 10 suites (artful, bionic, cosmic, disco, precise, trusty, upstream, xenial, yakkety, zesty): ignored 4, not-affected 3, released 2, DNE 1. https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2017-7572

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2017-7572

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
backintime_project backintime <= 1.1.18 cpe:2.3:a:backintime_project:backintime:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2017-7572

cvelogic Threat Intelligence