pam_usb provides hardware authentication for Linux using ordinary removable media
The pam_usb module has a vulnerability that can cause a crash when accessing device information. This is because the module passes the return values of certain functions directly to strcmp() without checking for NULL. As a result, an attacker can potentially cause a denial-of-service condition.
pam_usb provides hardware authentication for Linux using ordinary removable media. Prior to 0.8.7, src/device.c passed the return values of udisks_drive_get_serial(), udisks_drive_get_vendor(), and udisks_drive_get_model() directly to strcmp() without NULL checks. The GIO/UDisks API documentation states these accessors can return NULL for devices that do not expose the corresponding field. Passing NULL to strcmp() is undefined behaviour (typically a SIGSEGV). This vulnerability is fixed in 0.8.7.
Systems using pam_usb prior to version 0.8.7 are at risk of experiencing crashes when accessing device information, potentially leading to a denial-of-service condition.
Monitor & Review
Low severity — keep this CVE on your radar and patch during routine maintenance.
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Published
CVE disclosed publicly
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AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
0
Affected Products
1
References
CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Exploitability
Impact