I run

    lsb_release -rd
        Description:    openSUSE Leap 15.1
        Release:        15.1

    uname -rm
        5.3.6-24.g519ea7b-default x86_64

DE is KDE, with Plasma 5.17.0 latest update from KDE:Frameworks5.

On boot, I expect 'polkit-kde-authentication-agent-1' to be running.

It it not,

    ps ax | grep polkit
         2660 ?        Ssl    0:00 /usr/lib/polkit-1/polkitd --no-debug

This results in problems, e.g

    -- unable to mount USB/eSATA-attached from KDE/QT apps, "No permission"
errors

and more critically,

    -- unable to install VirtualBox extension pack,

        Failed to install the Extension Pack
/tmp/mozilla_pgnd0/Oracle_VM_VirtualBox_Extension_Pack-6.0.14.vbox-extpack.

        The installer failed with exit code 127: Error checking for
authorization org.freedesktop.policykit.exec:
GDBus.Error:org.gtk.GDBus.UnmappedGError.Quark._g_2dfile_2derror_2dquark.Code4:
Failed to open file ?/proc/7317/status?: No such file or directory.

        Result Code: NS_ERROR_FAILURE (0x80004005)
        Component: ExtPackManagerWrap
        Interface: IExtPackManager {70401eef-c8e9-466b-9660-45cb3e9979e4}

generally, however, desktop environment and apps are functional.

polkit service is up/healthy
    systemctl list-unit-files | grep polkit
        polkit.service                               static

    systemctl status -l polkit
        ��� polkit.service - Authorization Manager
           Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/polkit.service; static;
vendor preset: disabled)
           Active: active (running) since Tue 2019-10-15 18:18:58 PDT; 18min
ago
             Docs: man:polkit(8)
         Main PID: 2660 (polkitd)
            Tasks: 12 (limit: 9830)
           CGroup: /system.slice/polkit.service
                   ������2660 /usr/lib/polkit-1/polkitd --no-debug

Boot logs,

    journalctl -xb | egrep -i "polkit"
        Oct 15 18:18:57 pgnd.loc dbus-daemon[1733]: [system] Activating via
systemd: service name='org.freedesktop.PolicyKit1' unit='polkit.service'
requested by ':1.25' (uid=0 pid=2656 comm="")
        Oct 15 18:18:58 pgnd.loc polkitd[2660]: Started polkitd version 0.114
        Oct 15 18:18:58 pgnd.loc polkitd[2660]: Loading rules from directory
/etc/polkit-1/rules.d
        Oct 15 18:18:58 pgnd.loc polkitd[2660]: Loading rules from directory
/usr/share/polkit-1/rules.d
        Oct 15 18:18:58 pgnd.loc polkitd[2660]: Finished loading, compiling and
executing 3 rules
        Oct 15 18:18:58 pgnd.loc polkitd[2660]: Acquired the name
org.freedesktop.PolicyKit1 on the system bus

and, at shell, manual launch fails as well,

    whoami
        pgnd

    loginctl
       SESSION        UID USER             SEAT             TTY
             2       1000 pgnd             seat0

    rpm -q --whatprovides /usr/lib64/libexec/polkit-kde-authentication-agent-1
        polkit-kde-agent-5-5.17.0-lp151.201.1.x86_64

    QT_LOGGING_RULES=*.debug=true
/usr/lib64/libexec/polkit-kde-authentication-agent-1
        qt.qpa.xcb: Has MIT-SHM     : true
        qt.qpa.xcb: Has MIT-SHM FD  : true
        qt.qpa.xcb: Using XInput version 2.2
        qt.qpa.screen: Output DP-0 is not connected
        qt.qpa.screen: Output DP-1 is not connected
        qt.qpa.screen: EDID data for output "HDMI-0": identifier '',
manufacturer 'ViewSonic Corporation',model 'VP2771-', physical size:
600.00x340.00
        qt.qpa.screen: adding QXcbScreen(0x559574891980, name="HDMI-0",
geometry=2560x1440+0+0, availableGeometry=2560x1332+0+52, devicePixelRatio=1.0,
logicalDpi=QPair(96.0,96.0), physicalSize=597.0x336.0mm, screenNumber=0,
virtualSize=2560x1440 (2560.0x1440.0mm), orientation=Qt::LandscapeOrientation,
depth=24, refreshRate=59.0, root=1e8, windowManagerName="KWin") (Primary: true
)
        qt.qpa.screen: primary output is "HDMI-0"
        qt.qpa.input.devices: input device  Virtual core XTEST pointer ID 4
        qt.qpa.input.devices:    has 10 buttons
        qt.qpa.input.devices:    has valuator "Rel X" recognized? true
        qt.qpa.input.devices:    has valuator "Rel Y" recognized? true
        qt.qpa.input.devices:    it's a scrolling device
        qt.qpa.input.devices: input device  Kensington      Kensington Expert
Mouse ID 9
        qt.qpa.input.devices:    has 8 buttons
        qt.qpa.input.devices:    has valuator "Rel X" recognized? true
        qt.qpa.input.devices:    has valuator "Rel Y" recognized? true
        qt.qpa.input.devices:    has valuator "Rel Horiz Scroll" recognized?
true
        qt.qpa.input.devices:    has valuator "Rel Vert Scroll" recognized?
true
        qt.qpa.input.devices:    it's a scrolling device
        qt.qpa.input.devices: input device  HID 0c45:7403 ID 14
        qt.qpa.input.devices:    has 7 buttons
        qt.qpa.input.devices:    has valuator "Rel X" recognized? true
        qt.qpa.input.devices:    has valuator "Rel Y" recognized? true
        qt.qpa.input.devices:    has valuator "Rel Horiz Scroll" recognized?
true
        qt.qpa.input.devices:    has valuator "Rel Vert Scroll" recognized?
true
        qt.qpa.input.devices:    it's a scrolling device
        qt5ct: using qt5ct plugin
        qt.qpa.xcb: using glib dispatcher
        qt.qpa.input.methods: socketWatcher.addPath
"/home/pgnd/.config/ibus/bus/bce8d279423663d4735b9a3c000003e1-unix-0"
        qt.xkb.compose: using xkb compose input context
        org.kde.kcrash: KCrash disabled through environment.
        New PolkitAgentListener  0x5595749ed0c0
        Adding new listener  PolkitQt1::Agent::Listener(0x7f5b6800c920) for 
0x5595749ed0c0
        Listener online
        "Cannot register authentication agent:
GDBus.Error:org.freedesktop.PolicyKit1.Error.Failed: Cannot determine session
the caller is in"
        Authentication agent result: false
        Couldn't register listener!


raised issue in #kde, was suggested:

"ubuntu reverted a recent ibus security fix due to qt incompatibilities --
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4134-2/ -- we saw suse release this fix a few days
later, it's possible that they never noticed that it caused problems. try to
revert the patch that fixed CVE-2019-14822"