CVE-2026-44711
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedpam_usb provides hardware authentication for Linux using ordinary removable media. Prior to 0.8.7, symlink attacks on pad directory and pad files enable authentication bypass and root file corruption. This vulnerability is fixed in 0.8.7.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidencepam_usb versions prior to 0.8.7 are vulnerable to symlink attacks on the pad directory and pad files. This allows attackers to bypass hardware authentication mechanisms and corrupt root-level files on the system.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Check if pam_usb is installedRun 'dpkg -l | grep pam_usb' on Debian-based systems, or 'rpm -qa | grep pam_usb' on RHEL-based systems, or search for 'pam_usb' in the PAM modules directory (typically /lib/security/ or /lib64/security/)Affected if pam_usb is installed on the system
-
Determine the installed pam_usb versionRun 'dpkg -s pam_usb' or 'rpm -qi pam_usb' depending on your package manager, or check the module file version directly if installed from sourceAffected if the version returned is lower than 0.8.7 or cannot be determined (indicating an older build)
-
Locate the pad directory configurationCheck the pam_usb configuration file (typically /etc/pam_usb.conf or /etc/pam.d/pam_usb) and look for the 'pad' directive or 'device' settings that define the authentication storage locationAffected if a pad directory is configured and points to a user-writable location
-
Inspect pad directory and file permissionsList the configured pad directory (e.g., 'ls -la /path/to/pad') and check for world-writable permissions or symlinks pointing to sensitive locations like /root or /etcAffected if the pad directory or its contents have weak permissions (world-writable) or contain suspicious symlinks to system directories
-
Verify PAM configuration for pam_usbCheck PAM configuration files in /etc/pam.d/ for entries referencing 'pam_usb' (e.g., 'grep -r pam_usb /etc/pam.d/')Affected if pam_usb is referenced in any PAM stack (common-auth, common-account, etc.), meaning it is actively used for authentication
The system is affected if pam_usb version 0.8.7 or higher is not installed AND pam_usb is configured in the PAM authentication stack with a pad directory that has weak permissions or symlink vulnerabilities.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scopedUpgrade pam_usb to version 0.8.7 or later to address the symlink vulnerability. Review existing pad directory permissions and monitor for any unauthorized configuration changes.
0.8.7
- Upgrade pam_usb to version 0.8.7 or later
- Verify the upgrade using your distribution's package manager or compile from source from the official pam_usb repository
- After upgrading, verify that the pam_usb service is running correctly and authentication functions as expected
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,752.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-44711 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-44711 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data