CVE-2026-48983
June 18, 2026, 8:16 p.m.
5.8
Medium
Description
pam_usb provides hardware authentication for Linux using ordinary removable media. In versions prior to 0.9.2, a symlink race condition exists in per-device and per-user pad directory creation. pam_usb uses a check-then-act pattern: it calls lstat() to test for existence and then calls mkdir() separately to create the directory. A local attacker can win the race between these calls by replacing the target path with a symlink to a directory they control. If successful, one-time pad files may be written to an attacker-controlled location, potentially exposing future pad values before use or disrupting authentication. This issue has been fixed in version 0.9.2.
Product(s) Impacted
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| Pam Usb |
|
|
Weaknesses
Common security weaknesses mapped to this vulnerability.
CWE-367
Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition
The product checks the state of a resource before using that resource, but the resource's state can change between the check and the use in a way that invalidates the results of the check. This can cause the product to perform invalid actions when the resource is in an unexpected state.
*CPE(s)
Affected systems and software identified for this CVE.
| Type | Vendor | Product | Version | Update | Edition | Language | Software Edition | Target Software | Target Hardware | Other Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| a | pam_usb | pam_usb | <0.9.2 | / | / | / | / | / | / | / |
Tags
CVSS Score
CVSS Data - 3.1
- Attack Vector: LOCAL
- Attack Complexity: HIGH
- Privileges Required: LOW
- Scope: UNCHANGED
- Confidentiality Impact: HIGH
- Integrity Impact: LOW
- Availability Impact: LOW
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:L
Timeline
Published: June 18, 2026, 8:16 p.m.
Last Modified: June 18, 2026, 8:16 p.m.
Last Modified: June 18, 2026, 8:16 p.m.
Status : Received
CVE has been recently published to the CVE List and has been received by the NVD.
More infoSource
*Disclaimer: Some vulnerabilities do not have an associated CPE. To enhance the data, we use AI to infer CPEs based on CVE details. This is an automated process and might not always be accurate.