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CVE-2025-24531VulnerabilityPublished

CVE-2025-24531: OpenSC project pam_pkcs11 · Return of Wrong Status Code

Affects OpenSC project pam_pkcs11Source CVE Database V5

0

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 6.7 Medium : upgrade to 0.6.13 when convenient.

Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
6.7Medium
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
EPSS
0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 13% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch
Available – fixed in 0.6.13
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 16 Jan 2026

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponised: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq Mirage: no evidence on record.

    No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-25.

What to do

Upgrade OpenSC project pam_pkcs11 to 0.6.13.

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
OpenSC projectpam_pkcs11Affected
  • >=0.6.12 <0.6.13
Fixed in
  • 0.6.13
GitHubopensc/pam_pkcs11pkg:github/opensc/pam_pkcs11Other threatsAffected
  • =0.6.12
Fixed in–

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

1. Upgrade pam_pkcs11 to version 0.6.13 or later once the patch is released, as it will correct the improper return code handling in pam_sm_authenticate(). 2. If you cannot patch yet, implement compensating controls such as restricting local access to systems using pam_pkcs11, enforcing strict physical security, and monitoring authentication logs for anomalies indicating bypass attempts. 3. Conduct thorough audits of smartcard authentication logs to detect unusual authentication successes or failures that may indicate exploitation attempts. 4. Employ multi-factor authentication methods that do not solely rely on pam_pkcs11 or smartcards to reduce risk exposure. 5. Educate system administrators and security teams about this vulnerability to ensure rapid response and incident handling if suspicious activity is detected. 6. Review and harden PAM configuration files to ensure no fallback or alternative authentication methods inadvertently allow bypass. 7. Coordinate with vendors and security communities to obtain patches promptly and validate their effectiveness in test environments before deployment.

Description

In OpenSC pam_pkcs11 before 0.6.13, pam_sm_authenticate() wrongly returns PAM_IGNORE in many error situations (such as an error triggered by a smartcard before login), allowing authentication bypass.

References

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