Skip to main content
Press slash or control plus K to focus the search. Use the arrow keys to navigate results and press enter to open a threat.
Reconnecting to live updates…

CVE-2026-48981: CWE-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference in mcdope pam_usb

0
Medium
VulnerabilityCVE-2026-48981cvecve-2026-48981cwe-611
Published: Thu Jun 18 2026 (06/18/2026, 18:55:58 UTC)
Source: CVE Database V5
Vendor/Project: mcdope
Product: pam_usb

Description

pam_usb provides hardware authentication for Linux using ordinary removable media. In versions prior to 0.9.2, pam_usb calls xmlReadFile() with flags=0 when loading the configuration file, allowing libxml2 to process external entity references (XXE), potentially making outbound network connections or local file reads at XML parse time from the context of the authenticating process. The vulnerability requires the configuration file to contain crafted XML entity references. Since pam_usb.conf is root-owned, direct exploitation requires prior write access to the config, but the defence-in-depth impact is significant given that pam_usb.so runs in setuid contexts (sudo, su). This issue has been fixed in version 0.9.2.

CVSS v3.1

Score 6.7medium

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
High
Privileges Required
High
User Interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
Low
Availability
Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:L

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: 6a344c3bf198dc38c1709d7c

Added to database: 6/18/2026, 7:51:23 PM

Last updated: 6/18/2026, 7:52:18 PM

Views: 1

Community Reviews

0 reviews

Crowdsource mitigation strategies, share intel context, and vote on the most helpful responses. Sign in to add your voice and help keep defenders ahead.

Sort by
Loading community insights…

Want to contribute mitigation steps or threat intel context? Sign in or create an account to join the community discussion.

Actions

Please log in to the Console to use AI analysis features.

Need more coverage?

Upgrade to Pro Console for AI refresh and higher limits.

For incident response and remediation, OffSeq services can help resolve threats faster.

Latest Threats

Breach by OffSeqOFFSEQFRIENDS — 25% OFF

Check if your credentials are on the dark web

Instant breach scanning across billions of leaked records. Free tier available.

Scan now
OffSeq TrainingCredly Certified

Lead Pen Test Professional

Technical5-day eLearningPECB Accredited
View courses