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Critical · 9.2 CVE-2025-24032 EUVD-2025-3602

PAM-PKCS#11 vulnerable to authentication bypass with default value for `cert_policy` (`none`)

Published Feb 10, 2025 · Updated May 21, 2025 · 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;`.

Affected products

VendorProductAffectedFixed
OpenSC pam_pkcs11 < 0.6.13 —

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.

ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Debian 14 pam-pkcs11 0.6.13-1 —
Debian 13 pam-pkcs11 0.6.13-1 —
Debian 12 pam-pkcs11 0.6.12-1+deb12u1 DSA-5864-1
Debian 11 pam-pkcs11 0.6.11-4+deb11u1 DLA-4058-1
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS pam-pkcs11 0.6.12-2ubuntu0.24.04.1 USN-7363-1
Ubuntu 22.04 LTS pam-pkcs11 0.6.11-4ubuntu0.1 USN-7363-1
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS pam-pkcs11 0.6.11-2ubuntu0.1 USN-7363-1
Show 2 more (older releases, extended support, other products)
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTS pam-pkcs11 0.6.9-2ubuntu0.1~esm1 USN-7363-1
Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS pam-pkcs11 0.6.8-4ubuntu0.1~esm1 USN-7363-1
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
SLES 15 SP6 pam_pkcs11 0.6.10-150600.16.3.1 SUSE-SU-2025:0689-1
SLES 12 SP5 pam_pkcs11 0.6.8-7.8.1 SUSE-SU-2025:0688-1
Show 6 more (older releases, extended support, other products)
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
SLE Micro 6.0 pam_pkcs11 0.6.12-3.1 SUSE-SU-2025:20199-1
SLE Micro 5.5 pam_pkcs11 0.6.10-150100.3.6.1 SUSE-SU-2025:0712-1
SLE Micro 5.4 pam_pkcs11 0.6.10-150100.3.6.1 SUSE-SU-2025:0712-1
SLE Micro 5.3 pam_pkcs11 0.6.10-150100.3.6.1 SUSE-SU-2025:0712-1
SLE Micro 5.2 pam_pkcs11 0.6.10-150100.3.6.1 SUSE-SU-2025:0712-1
SLE Micro 5.1 pam_pkcs11 0.6.10-150100.3.6.1 SUSE-SU-2025:0712-1
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
openSUSE Tumbleweed pam_pkcs11 0.6.13-1.1 openSUSE-SU-2025:14738-1
openSUSE Leap 15.6 pam_pkcs11 0.6.10-150600.16.3.1 SUSE-SU-2025:0689-1

Advisories 8

References