Security News > 2020 > November > Now-patched Ubuntu desktop vulnerability allows privilege escalation
2020-11-11 13:44
GitHub security researcher Kevin Backhouse found bugs in Ubuntu 20.04 which enabled any desktop user to get root access.
Backhouse discovered two separate issues, one by accident, which together enable the privilege escalation.
The Ubuntu AccountsService issue was fixed here on November 3rd, and the Gnome Desktop issue was patched a day later as reported here.
The vulnerability only impacts desktop users, and requires access to the GUI, so it is not easy to exploit in most scenarios.
That said, Ubuntu Server could in principle be vulnerable if the desktop is installed and a user has some level of access.