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High · 7.8 CVE-2026-44709 EUVD-2026-32661

pam_usb: PINENTRY_FALLBACK_APP environment variable allows arbitrary command execution

Published May 27, 2026 · Updated Jun 2, 2026 · Assigned by GitHub_M

Description

pam_usb provides hardware authentication for Linux using ordinary removable media. Prior to 0.8.7, pamusb-pinentry reads the PINENTRY_FALLBACK_APP environment variable and executes it directly without any validation. Any process that can set environment variables before pamusb-pinentry is invoked can point PINENTRY_FALLBACK_APP at an arbitrary binary or script and have it executed with the privileges of the pam_usb tool chain. This vulnerability is fixed in 0.8.7.

Affected products

VendorProductAffectedFixed
mcdope pam_usb < 0.8.7 —

References