CVE-2014-5033: KDE kdelibs before 4.14 and kauth before 5.1 does not properly use D-Bus for communication with a polkit au...

Security readout for executives and security teams

This is an older KDE authorization flaw where local users could bypass intended access restrictions. It affects KDE kdelibs before 4.14 and KAuth before 5.1. The main business risk is on legacy Linux systems still running vulnerable KDE packages with local user access. Exposure is most likely on outdated Linux desktop or server systems with KDE components installed, especially kdelibs before 4.14 or KAuth before 5.1. Modern distributions that applied 2014 vendor updates are less likely to remain affected. Treat this as a legacy exposure cleanup item unless vulnerable KDE systems still allow local user access. Prioritize patching shared workstations, jump hosts, and any Linux systems where untrusted or low-privileged users can log in. Mitigation focus: Upgrade kdelibs to 4.14 or later where applicable.; Upgrade KAuth to 5.1 or later where applicable.; Apply relevant vendor packages from Red Hat, Debian, Ubuntu, or openSUSE advisories..

Prepared

Jun 14, 2026, 07:14 UTC (UTC+00:00)

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.