CVE-2025-24032
PAM-PKCS#11 vulnerable to authentication bypass with default value for `cert_policy` (`none`)
- Published
- Updated
- Reserved
- Assigned by
- GitHub_M
Description
PAM-PKCS#11 is a Linux-PAM login module that allows a X.509 certificate based user login. Prior to version 0.6.13, if cert_policy is set to none (the default value), then pam_pkcs11 will only check if the user is capable of logging into the token. An attacker may create a different token with the user's public data (e.g. the user's certificate) and a PIN known to the attacker. If no signature with the private key is required, then the attacker may now login as user with that created token. The default to *not* check the private key's signature has been changed with commit commi6638576892b59a99389043c90a1e7dd4d783b921, so that all versions starting with pam_pkcs11-0.6.0 should be affected. As a workaround, in `pam_pkcs11.conf`, set at least `cert_policy = signature;`.
Scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub_MCNA (assigner) | 4.0 | Critical9.2 | CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:L/SC:L/SI:L/SA:L |
| NVDNVD · Deferred | 4.0 | Critical9.2 | CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:L/SC:L/SI:L/SA:L/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X |
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 0.71% · top 46% of all CVEs (6 Nov 2026)
- CISA SSVC
- Exploitation: none · Automatable: yes · Technical impact: total
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: Critical 9.2.
Weakness
Affected products
- affected < 0.6.13
References (8)
- https://github.com/OpenSC/pam_pkcs11/security/advisories/GHSA-8r8p-7mgp-vf56 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://github.com/OpenSC/pam_pkcs11/commit/470263258d1ac59c5eade439c4d9caba0097e6e6 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/OpenSC/pam_pkcs11/commit/b665b287ff955bbbd9539252ff9f9e2754c3fb48 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/OpenSC/pam_pkcs11/commit/d9530167966a77115db6e885d459382a2e52ee9e (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/OpenSC/pam_pkcs11/releases/tag/pam_pkcs11-0.6.13 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISC
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/02/msg00021.html (opens in a new tab)
- https://www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/cve-2025-24032-detect-vulnerability-in-linux-pam-module (opens in a new tab)
- https://www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/cve-2025-24032-mitigate-linux-pam-module-vulnerability (opens in a new tab)
Sources
The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.
- CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
- CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
- NVD (opens in a new tab)
- FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
- OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
- GitHub Advisories (opens in a new tab)
- CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)
Badge for a README or a ticket
[](https://trackcve.app/cve/CVE-2025-24032)Record last updated .