CVE-2026-48064CWE-863

pam_usb: PAM_RHOST check skipped when deny_remote=false allows XDMCP authentication bypass

High · published May 27, 2026

CVSS v3.1
8.1
EPSS
1%
Percentile
44.9
In the wild
Unconfirmed
What it is

pam_usb provides hardware authentication for Linux using ordinary removable media. Prior to 0.9.1, when a PAM service is configured with deny_remote=false in pam_usb (commonly done for display managers such as gdm-password or lightdm to bypass process/TTY heuristics for local sessions), the PAM_RHOST check in pusb_do_auth() is also skipped. PAM_RHOST is set by remote daemons (sshd, XDMCP servers) to identify the remote client address. Because the check is gated inside if (opts.deny_remote), a genuine remote XDMCP connection reaches the USB device authentication step instead of being rejected. This vulnerability is fixed in 0.9.1.

The record
Technical detail
CVSS v3.1
8.1 · HIGH
Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS v4.0
Not supplied
EPSS
0.00544 · 44.9th percentile
Weakness
CWE-863 · Incorrect Authorization
Published
2026-05-27T19:59Z
EPSS history
Timeline
  • 27 MAY 19:59Z
    pam_usb: PAM_RHOST check skipped when deny_remote=false allows XDMCP authentication bypass
    cvelistv5