CVE-2025-8941: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Extended Lifecycle Support · Path Traversal
Affects Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Extended Lifecycle SupportSource CVE Database V5
Mentioned vulnerabilities
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 19% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 13 Aug 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by 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 26 Oct 2026.
What to do
AI-suggested
To mitigate CVE-2025-8941, organizations should immediately apply the official patches provided by Red Hat for the pam_namespace module in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Extended Lifecycle Support. In the absence of patches, administrators should restrict local user access to trusted personnel only and enforce strict controls on the creation and manipulation of symbolic links, especially in directories used by PAM modules. Implementing mandatory access controls (e.g., SELinux policies) to limit the ability of users to create or follow symlinks in sensitive directories can reduce exploitation risk. Monitoring and auditing file system changes and PAM module logs may help detect attempted exploitation. Additionally, organizations should review and harden local user permissions and consider isolating critical systems from untrusted users. Regularly updating and patching all authentication-related components is essential to prevent exploitation of this and related vulnerabilities. Finally, educating system administrators about the risks of symlink and race condition attacks can improve proactive defense measures.
Description
A flaw was found in linux-pam. The pam_namespace module may improperly handle user-controlled paths, allowing local users to exploit symlink attacks and race conditions to elevate their privileges to root. This CVE provides a "complete" fix for CVE-2025-6020.
References
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2025:14557 (opens in a new tab)
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2025:15099 (opens in a new tab)
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2025:15100 (opens in a new tab)
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2025:15101 (opens in a new tab)
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2025:15102 (opens in a new tab)
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2025:15103 (opens in a new tab)
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2025:15104 (opens in a new tab)
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2025:15105 (opens in a new tab)
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2025:15106 (opens in a new tab)
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2025:15107 (opens in a new tab)
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2025:15709 (opens in a new tab)
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2025:15827 (opens in a new tab)
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2025:15828 (opens in a new tab)
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2025:16524 (opens in a new tab)
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2025:17181 (opens in a new tab)
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2025:18219 (opens in a new tab)
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2025:21885 (opens in a new tab)
- access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2025-8941 (opens in a new tab)
- bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2388220 (opens in a new tab)