CVE-2026-47272 — HIGH (7.1)

Vulnerability Description

pam_usb provides hardware authentication for Linux using ordinary removable media. Prior to 0.9.0, the pusb_pad_compare() function in src/pad.c only verified that the user-side pad (~/.pamusb/device.pad) could be read, but did not enforce that the system-side pad (the pad file on the USB device) was also present and readable. If the user-side pad was deleted or unreadable, the function returned a failure that was treated as non-fatal in certain code paths, allowing authentication to succeed without the USB device being verified. A local user can delete their own ~/.pamusb/device.pad to remove the USB device requirement and authenticate without the physical device. This vulnerability is fixed in 0.9.0.

CVSS Score

7.1

HIGH

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

Attack Vector

LOCAL

Attack Complexity

LOW

Privileges Required

LOW

User Interaction

NONE

Scope

UNCHANGED

Confidentiality

HIGH

Integrity

HIGH

Availability

NONE

Related Weaknesses (CWE)

CWE-287 CWE-908

References

https://github.com/mcdope/pam_usb/security/advisories/GHSA-vx6f-rrqr-j87c

FAQ

What is CVE-2026-47272?

CVE-2026-47272 is a vulnerability with a CVSS score of 7.1 (HIGH). pam_usb provides hardware authentication for Linux using ordinary removable media. Prior to 0.9.0, the pusb_pad_compare() function in src/pad.c only verified that the user-side pad (~/.pamusb/device.p...

How severe is CVE-2026-47272?

CVE-2026-47272 has been rated HIGH with a CVSS base score of 7.1/10. Review the CVSS metrics above for detailed severity breakdown.

Is there a patch for CVE-2026-47272?

Check the references section above for vendor advisories and patch information. Review vendor security bulletins for remediation guidance.