Description
An Ubuntu-specific modification to AccountsService in versions before 0.6.55-0ubuntu13.2, among other earlier versions, would perform unbounded read operations on user-controlled ~/.pam_environment files, allowing an infinite loop if /dev/zero is symlinked to this location.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freedesktop | accountsservice | 0.6.35-0ubuntu7.3 – < 0.6.35-0ubuntu7.3+esm2, 0.6.40-2ubuntu11 – < 0.6.40-2ubuntu11.6, 0.6.45-1ubuntu1 – < 0.6.45-1ubuntu1.3, 0.6.55-0ubuntu – < 0.6.55-0ubuntu12~20.04.4, 0.6.55-0ubuntu13 – < 0.6.55-0ubuntu13.2 | 0.6.35-0ubuntu7.3+esm2 |
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | accountsservice | 0.6.55-0ubuntu12~20.04.4 | USN-4616-1 |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | accountsservice | 0.6.45-1ubuntu1.3 | USN-4616-1 |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | accountsservice | 0.6.40-2ubuntu11.6 | USN-4616-1 |
Advisories 1
- USN-4616-1 accountsservice vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Apr 22, 2026