CVE-2020-16123
Publication date 23 November 2020
Last updated 25 August 2025
Ubuntu priority
Description
An Ubuntu-specific patch in PulseAudio created a race condition where the snap policy module would fail to identify a client connection from a snap as coming from a snap if SCM_CREDENTIALS were missing, allowing the snap to connect to PulseAudio without proper confinement. This could be exploited by an attacker to expose sensitive information. Fixed in 1:13.99.3-1ubuntu2, 1:13.99.2-1ubuntu2.1, 1:13.99.1-1ubuntu3.8, 1:11.1-1ubuntu7.11, and 1:8.0-0ubuntu3.15.
Status
| Package | Ubuntu Release | Status |
|---|---|---|
| pulseaudio | ||
| 20.04 LTS focal |
Fixed 1:13.99.1-1ubuntu3.8
|
|
| 18.04 LTS bionic |
Fixed 1:11.1-1ubuntu7.11
|
|
| 16.04 LTS xenial |
Fixed 1:8.0-0ubuntu3.15
|
|
| 14.04 LTS trusty | Not in release |
Severity score breakdown
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Base score |
4.7 · Medium
|
| Attack vector | Local |
| Attack complexity | High |
| Privileges required | Low |
| User interaction | None |
| Scope | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | High |
| Integrity impact | None |
| Availability impact | None |
| Vector | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N |
References
Related Ubuntu Security Notices (USN)
- USN-4640-1
- PulseAudio vulnerability
- 23 November 2020