CVE-2025-6020 is a path traversal vulnerability in the pam_namespace module of linux-pam. The module improperly restricts pathname usage, allowing local attackers to leverage symlink attacks and race conditions to escalate privileges to root. The vulnerability is rated high severity with a CVSS 3.1 score of 7.8 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H). Red Hat has released security advisories RHSA-2025:10024 and RHSA-2025:10027 providing updated pam packages for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 and 9.4 Extended Update Support to fix this issue. The advisories include detailed package updates and instructions for remediation. No public exploits have been reported.

Successful exploitation allows a local user with limited privileges to escalate to root privileges by exploiting symlink attacks and race conditions in the pam_namespace module. This compromises system confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The CVSS score of 7.8 reflects the high impact on the affected systems. There are no known exploits in the wild currently, but the vulnerability poses a significant risk if left unpatched.

Red Hat has released official security updates for linux-pam that address CVE-2025-6020. Users of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 and 9.4 Extended Update Support should apply the updated pam packages as detailed in Red Hat advisories RHSA-2025:10024 and RHSA-2025:10027. The advisories provide package names, versions, and SHA-256 checksums for verification. Applying these updates is the recommended and effective mitigation. Patch status is confirmed as officially fixed by Red Hat. No additional mitigation steps are indicated by the vendor.