COURSE

CVE Series: Polkit (CVE-2021-4034)

Course

The Polkit vulnerability (CVE-2021-4034) is a critical vulnerability impacting every major Linux distribution. Its attack vector allows privilege escalation and can even give the attacker root access. Exploit and mitigate this vulnerability in this hands-on course that gives you the skills you need to protect your organization.
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1

H

15

M
Time

intermediate

i
Designed for learners who have no prior work experience in IT or Cybersecurity, but are interested in starting a career in this exciting field.
Designed for learners with prior cybersecurity work experience who are interested in advancing their career or expanding their skillset.
Designed for learners with a solid grasp of foundational IT and cybersecurity concepts who are interested in pursuing an entry-level security role.
Experience Level

2

i

Earn qualifying credits for certification renewal with completion certificates provided for submission.
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Skills you'll gain

Course Outline

1
Polkit Vulnerability Exploitation
0
H
55
Min
1
Polkit Vulnerability Mitigation
0
H
30
Min
1
Polkit Vulnerability Exploitation
0
H
40
Min
1
Polkit Vulnerability Mitigation
0
H
35
Min

Introduction and Background

Free

5m

Mitigation Overview

Free

5m

Vulnerability Identification

Free

5m

Mitigation Steps

Free

25m

Exploitation Lab Walkthrough

Free

45m

Polkit Vulnerability Exploitation
Heading
Module 1: Introduction
1
Hr
5
Min
Polkit Vulnerability Mitigation
Heading
Module 1: Introduction
1
Hr
5
Min
Polkit Vulnerability Exploitation
Heading
Module 1: Introduction
1
Hr
5
Min
Polkit Vulnerability Mitigation
Heading
Module 1: Introduction
1
Hr
5
Min
Introduction and Background

5m

Polkit Vulnerability Exploitation
Mitigation Overview

5m

Polkit Vulnerability Mitigation
Vulnerability Identification

5m

Polkit Vulnerability Exploitation
Mitigation Steps

25m

Polkit Vulnerability Mitigation
Exploitation Lab Walkthrough

45m

Polkit Vulnerability Exploitation
Course Description

Who should take this course?

Our Polkit vulnerability (CVE-2021-4034) course is designed for intermediate-level learners in either the defensive or offensive security spaces. Penetration testers, red teamers, security and vulnerability analysts, and system administrators can take this course to learn how to protect against this critical vulnerability impacting enterprise systems or to exploit the vulnerability in their own testing activities.

What are the prerequisites for this course?

You should have a functional understanding of the Linux command line in order to execute key commands to exploit and mitigate this vulnerability in a virtual lab environment.

Why should I take this course?

The Polkit vulnerability (CVE-2021-4034) is widespread and dangerous. Because of its ability to elevate the privileges of any user on a system, this vulnerability has earned a high CVSS score of 7.8. It depends upon a program installed by default on every major Linux distribution. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to elevate their privileges on a victim system and even gain root access.

It is important to patch this vulnerability as soon as possible, because it has put many systems at risk. Our course discusses the official patch released on January 11th. The course also covers additional methods for mitigating and preventing exploitation of the vulnerability that depend on your system preferences. Gain hands-on experience with exploiting and mitigating this vulnerability in a secure virtual lab environment, giving you the skills you need to protect your organization.

What makes this course different from other courses on similar topics?

This course specifically covers a critical vulnerability that could affect your organization. By the end of this course, you will be able to:

  • Define the Polkit vulnerability, describe its root cause, and communicate its significance to key organizational stakeholders
  • Exploit the vulnerability with publicly available exploit code
  • Mitigate the vulnerability using multiple different methods

    • This course is taught by Raymond Evans, a member of the CyDefe team. CyDefe develops and operates capture-the-flag (CTF) style environments, and this course focuses on presenting learners with virtual labs where you can dirctly apply what you've learned.

    Why should I take this course on Cybrary and not somewhere else?

    This on-demand course gives you the hands-on experience needed to protect and defend your organization against the new and dangerous Polkit vulnerability (CVE-2021-4034). In one hour, offensive and defensive security professionals will be able to see just how easy it is to exploit this vulnerability from the perspective of an adversary. After completing your training, you will be able to not only exploit and mitigate this critical vulnerability, but also describe its significance to organizational stakeholders.

    Train Your Team

    Cybrary’s expert-led cybersecurity courses help your team remediate skill gaps and get up-to-date on certifications. Utilize Cybrary to stay ahead of emerging threats and provide team members with clarity on how to learn, grow, and advance their careers within your organization.

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    Included in a Path

    Included Cert Path

    Instructors

    Raymond Evans
    Read Full Bio
    Learn

    Learn core concepts and get hands-on with key skills.

    Practice

    Exercise your problem-solving and creative thinking skills with security-centric puzzles

    Prove

    Assess your knowledge and skills to identify areas for improvement and measure your growth

    Get Hands-on Learning

    Put your skills to the test in virtual labs, challenges, and simulated environments.

    Measure Your Progress

    Track your skills development from lesson to lesson using the Cybrary Skills Tracker.

    Connect with the Community

    Connect with peers and mentors through our supportive community of cybersecurity professionals.

    Success from Our Learners

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    Security Engineer and Pentester/

    "Cybrary really helped me get up to speed and acquire a baseline level of technical knowledge. It offers a far more comprehensive approach than just learning from a book. It actually shows you how to apply cybersecurity processes in a hands-on way"

    Don Gates

    Principal Systems Engineer/SAIC

    "Cybrary’s SOC Analyst career path was the difference maker, and was instrumental in me landing my new job. I was able to show the employer that I had the right knowledge and the hands-on skills to execute the role."

    Cory

    Cybersecurity analyst/

    "I was able to earn my CISSP certification within 60 days of signing up for Cybrary Insider Pro and got hired as a Security Analyst conducting security assessments and penetration testing within 120 days. This certainly wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the Cybrary mentor community."

    Mike

    Security Engineer and Pentester/

    "Becoming a Cybrary Insider Pro was a total game changer. Cybrary was instrumental in helping me break into cybersecurity, despite having no prior IT experience or security-related degree. Their career paths gave me clear direction, the instructors had real-world experience, and the virtual labs let me gain hands-on skills I could confidently put on my resume and speak to in interviews."

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    Information Security Analyst/Cisco Systems

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    Founder,/ IntellChromatics.

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    CVE Series: Polkit (CVE-2021-4034)

    The Polkit vulnerability (CVE-2021-4034) is a critical vulnerability impacting every major Linux distribution. Its attack vector allows privilege escalation and can even give the attacker root access. Exploit and mitigate this vulnerability in this hands-on course that gives you the skills you need to protect your organization.
    Share
    Start CourseSubscribe for UpdatesNeed to train your team? Learn more
    Start Course for FreeNeed to train your team? Learn more
    1
    H 
    15
    M
    Time
    intermediate
    difficulty
    2
    ceu/cpe

    Course Content

    Course Description

    Who should take this course?

    Our Polkit vulnerability (CVE-2021-4034) course is designed for intermediate-level learners in either the defensive or offensive security spaces. Penetration testers, red teamers, security and vulnerability analysts, and system administrators can take this course to learn how to protect against this critical vulnerability impacting enterprise systems or to exploit the vulnerability in their own testing activities.

    What are the prerequisites for this course?

    You should have a functional understanding of the Linux command line in order to execute key commands to exploit and mitigate this vulnerability in a virtual lab environment.

    Why should I take this course?

    The Polkit vulnerability (CVE-2021-4034) is widespread and dangerous. Because of its ability to elevate the privileges of any user on a system, this vulnerability has earned a high CVSS score of 7.8. It depends upon a program installed by default on every major Linux distribution. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to elevate their privileges on a victim system and even gain root access.

    It is important to patch this vulnerability as soon as possible, because it has put many systems at risk. Our course discusses the official patch released on January 11th. The course also covers additional methods for mitigating and preventing exploitation of the vulnerability that depend on your system preferences. Gain hands-on experience with exploiting and mitigating this vulnerability in a secure virtual lab environment, giving you the skills you need to protect your organization.

    What makes this course different from other courses on similar topics?

    This course specifically covers a critical vulnerability that could affect your organization. By the end of this course, you will be able to:

  • Define the Polkit vulnerability, describe its root cause, and communicate its significance to key organizational stakeholders
  • Exploit the vulnerability with publicly available exploit code
  • Mitigate the vulnerability using multiple different methods

    • This course is taught by Raymond Evans, a member of the CyDefe team. CyDefe develops and operates capture-the-flag (CTF) style environments, and this course focuses on presenting learners with virtual labs where you can dirctly apply what you've learned.

    Why should I take this course on Cybrary and not somewhere else?

    This on-demand course gives you the hands-on experience needed to protect and defend your organization against the new and dangerous Polkit vulnerability (CVE-2021-4034). In one hour, offensive and defensive security professionals will be able to see just how easy it is to exploit this vulnerability from the perspective of an adversary. After completing your training, you will be able to not only exploit and mitigate this critical vulnerability, but also describe its significance to organizational stakeholders.

    This course is part of a Career Path:
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    Certification Body
    Certificate of Completion

    Complete this entire course to earn a CVE Series: Polkit (CVE-2021-4034) Certificate of Completion

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    Purpose Statement

    Cybrary Career Paths are comprehensive training programs designed to prepare you for the most in-demand roles in the cybersecurity workforce. Each path follows a Learn, Practice, Prove model and includes different activity types aligned to key topics within the path’s security domain. As you progress through the path, your progress will be measured in real time using Experience Points (XP) that serve as a comprehensive capability score for each topic. Upon completing all of the requirements for a path, you will be rewarded with a shareable digital badge via Credly.
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    Overview

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    Frequently Asked Questions
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    What Will I Learn?
    Foundations
    Focused on the core IT competencies that cybersecurity professionals need to succeed in any career path.
    Defensive Security
    Focused on trying to find the bad guys. Topics such as threat intelligence, threat hunting, network monitoring, incident response. Defensive security is a reactive measure taken once a vulnerability is found through prevention, detection, and response.
    Engineering and Operations
    Focused on building and operating information systems.
    Governance, Risk, and Compliance
    Focused on the core IT competencies that cybersecurity professionals need to succeed in any career path.
    Leadership and Management
    Focused on program design and oversight. Covers project and program management.
    Offensive Security
    Focused on validating security controls by trying to break them (i.e. penetration testing or ethical hacking). Topics such as Kali Linux, metasploit, scanning, and privilege escalation. Offensive security seeks out the problem or vulnerability through ethical hacking and finds a solution to disable the operation.
    Offensive Security
    Focused on the core IT competencies that cybersecurity professionals need to succeed in any career path.
    Path Outline

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    Course Outline

    What Our Learners Are Saying

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