CVE-2026-48980: CWE-454: External Initialization of Trusted Variables or Data Stores in mcdope pam_usb
pam_usb versions prior to 0.9.2 are vulnerable to environment variable injection via the XRDP_SESSION, DISPLAY, and TMUX variables. These variables affect local-check logic determining session locality in PAM modules running with elevated privileges. An attacker with local access can manipulate these environment variables to influence authentication decisions. This vulnerability has been fixed in version 0.9.2.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
The vulnerability in pam_usb (CVE-2026-48980) involves the use of getenv() to read environment variables XRDP_SESSION, DISPLAY, and TMUX, which can be controlled by a local attacker. These variables influence whether a session is considered local or remote in the PAM module's local-check logic. Since PAM modules run in the context of setuid binaries such as sudo and su, attacker-controlled environment variables can lead to unauthorized privilege escalation or bypass of authentication checks. The issue is resolved in pam_usb version 0.9.2.
Potential Impact
An attacker with local access can manipulate environment variables to influence the authentication logic of pam_usb, potentially bypassing intended security checks and gaining unauthorized elevated privileges. The vulnerability affects confidentiality and integrity but does not impact availability. The CVSS score of 6.3 reflects a medium severity with high impact on confidentiality and integrity.
Mitigation Recommendations
Upgrade pam_usb to version 0.9.2 or later, where this vulnerability has been fixed. No other mitigation is indicated by the vendor advisory. Patch status is confirmed fixed in version 0.9.2.
CVE-2026-48980: CWE-454: External Initialization of Trusted Variables or Data Stores in mcdope pam_usb
Description
pam_usb versions prior to 0.9.2 are vulnerable to environment variable injection via the XRDP_SESSION, DISPLAY, and TMUX variables. These variables affect local-check logic determining session locality in PAM modules running with elevated privileges. An attacker with local access can manipulate these environment variables to influence authentication decisions. This vulnerability has been fixed in version 0.9.2.
CVSS v3.1
Score 6.3medium
Affected software
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AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
The vulnerability in pam_usb (CVE-2026-48980) involves the use of getenv() to read environment variables XRDP_SESSION, DISPLAY, and TMUX, which can be controlled by a local attacker. These variables influence whether a session is considered local or remote in the PAM module's local-check logic. Since PAM modules run in the context of setuid binaries such as sudo and su, attacker-controlled environment variables can lead to unauthorized privilege escalation or bypass of authentication checks. The issue is resolved in pam_usb version 0.9.2.
Potential Impact
An attacker with local access can manipulate environment variables to influence the authentication logic of pam_usb, potentially bypassing intended security checks and gaining unauthorized elevated privileges. The vulnerability affects confidentiality and integrity but does not impact availability. The CVSS score of 6.3 reflects a medium severity with high impact on confidentiality and integrity.
Mitigation Recommendations
Upgrade pam_usb to version 0.9.2 or later, where this vulnerability has been fixed. No other mitigation is indicated by the vendor advisory. Patch status is confirmed fixed in version 0.9.2.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- GitHub_M
- Date Reserved
- 2026-05-26T23:26:07.974Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
Threat ID: 6a344c3bf198dc38c1709d78
Added to database: 06/18/2026, 19:51:23 UTC
Last enriched: 06/25/2026, 21:34:45 UTC
Last updated: 08/01/2026, 07:18:01 UTC
Views: 61
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