CVE-2026-48982CWE-362

pam_usb: Missing O_EXCL on pad temp file creation allows concurrent update race

Medium · published June 18, 2026

CVSS v3.1
5.8
EPSS
0%
Percentile
1.6
In the wild
Unconfirmed
What it is

pam_usb provides hardware authentication for Linux using ordinary removable media. In versions prior to 0.9.2, when updating a one-time pad file, a temporary file is created using open() without the O_EXCL flag. Without O_EXCL, the create operation is not atomic: two concurrent processes racing to update the same pad may both succeed in opening the file, with the second write silently overwriting the first. The one-time pad is the core replay-prevention mechanism of pam_usb. A successful race could result in the stored pad value diverging from what either process expected, potentially causing authentication failures or, in a precisely timed attack, creating a window for pad reuse. This issue has been fixed in version 0.9.2.

The record
Technical detail
CVSS v3.1
5.8 · MEDIUM
Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:L
CVSS v4.0
Not supplied
EPSS
0.00118 · 1.6th percentile
Weakness
CWE-362 · Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization ('Race Condition')
Published
2026-06-18T19:01Z
EPSS history
Timeline
  • 18 JUN 19:01Z
    pam_usb: Missing O_EXCL on pad temp file creation allows concurrent update race
    cvelistv5