pkexec returns "error getting authority" (Kali Linux, WSL 2)

[LRitzdorf]

Environment

Windows build number: 19041.572
Your Distribution version: Kali Rolling (currently on 2020.3)
Whether the issue is on WSL 2 and/or WSL 1: WSL 2

Steps to reproduce

The pkexec command, when used to run at least some other commands, returns Error getting authority: Error initializing authority: Could not connect: No such file or directory. This was discovered using Wireshark in Kali Linux (on WSL 2) -- the "start menu" shortcut for Wireshark runs pkexec wireshark, and does not function. However, running sudo wireshark from the command line works as expected, so the issue does not lie with Wireshark. For ease of testing, the error also appears with pkexec ls.

This was tested in Kali Linux, and has not yet been verified for other WSL distributions.

Expected behavior

$ pkexec wireshark
[Wireshark starts, printing status messages in the process]

Actual behavior

$ pkexec wireshark
Error getting authority: Error initializing authority: Could not connect: No such file or directory

[therealkenc]

You don't have dbus running. You can do a sudo service dbus start to get one step of the way, but there would be more to it to get polkit running on a headless Linux box such as WSL. Spiritually dupe #6117.

[LRitzdorf]

Thanks, I'll add my observation about pkexec onto #6117 then.

Also, since I'm using Win-KeX (which gives me a GUI using VNC), does that still count as headless for polkit purposes? Plus, I would think that polkit shouldn't be an issue anyway, since I ran sudo apt install kali-linux-default to install all the standard tools. Does polkit usually require extra setup like this?

[moritzbeck13]

On Kali, running Wireshark from the application menu is linked to sh -c "$(id -Gn | grep -q wireshark || echo pkexec) wireshark %f"
On WSL, the command behind the start menu entry is sh -c "$(id -Gn | grep -q wireshark || echo pkexec) wireshark

From running this command in PowerShell, I can see two things:

• the quotes are not properly closed
• PowerShell complains about the ||

After starting dbus, which isn't in systemd on WSL for some reason, and running sh -c "$(id -Gn | grep -q wireshark | echo pkexec) wireshark", PowerShell still complains, but Wireshark starts as expected.
I think WSL has some problems interpreting the %f and just cuts of the string altogether. Not sure about the rest.

Funnily enough; this was working for me with an existing install but recent version of Windows 11, but not on a fresh install.

[LRitzdorf]

Since asking the initial question here, I've switched to Linux as my primary OS, so I can't examine this myself at the moment. However, the fact that it's cut off at the %f feels like maybe some higher level of parsing is eating that token, so the full command doesn't make it through to the shortcut's command field? (This is a wild guess with no real basis; just my initial reaction.)