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OS Command InjectionWeakness · CWE-78

CVE-2026-44712

HIGH · 8.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-27
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click

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 · unedited
pam_usb provides hardware authentication for Linux using ordinary removable media. Prior to 0.8.7, a crafted UUID such as $(id>/tmp/rce) in the config causes root RCE when pamusb-conf --reset-pads is run. A USB device with a crafted filesystem UUID (some controllers allow this) can inject the payload at --add-device time. Also, userName from the XML config is passed to os.system() in pamusb-agent, which invokes a shell. 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 confidence

pam_usb versions prior to 0.8.7 contain multiple command injection vulnerabilities allowing root RCE. The UUID field in configuration accepts unsanitized input that gets executed via shell when pamusb-conf --reset-pads runs, and userName from XML config is passed to os.system() without sanitization in pamusb-agent. An attacker with physical USB access can inject malicious payloads through crafted filesystem UUIDs.

MitigationUpgrade to pam_usb version 0.8.7 or later which implements proper input sanitization. Audit existing device configurations and XML files for malicious UUID or userName entries before upgrading.

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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check pam_usb version
    Run 'pamusb-agent --version' or 'pamusb-conf --version' to see the installed version. On Debian-based systems, also check via dpkg -l | grep pam-usb
    Affected if Version is lower than 0.8.7 (e.g., 0.8.6, 0.8.5, etc.)
  2. Locate pam_usb configuration files
    Search for XML configuration files typically stored in /etc/pamusb or ~/.pamusb, often named *.xml. Run: find /etc -name '*.xml' 2>/dev/null | xargs grep -l 'pamusb' 2>/dev/null
    Affected if XML configuration files exist and are readable by the pam_usb service
  3. Inspect UUID field in device configuration
    Examine the <device> sections in XML config files for the <uuid> field. Check if the UUID contains shell metacharacters like ;, |, $, `, or backticks that could indicate injection
    Affected if UUID field contains unsanitized shell metacharacters or looks abnormally long/complex
  4. Inspect userName field in service configuration
    Look for <user> or <userName> entries in the XML configuration files. Verify the username value does not contain shell injection characters
    Affected if userName field contains characters like ;, &, |, $(), or backticks used in os.system() calls
  5. Check if pam_usb authentication is enabled
    Review PAM configuration in /etc/pam.d/ for entries referencing pam_usb.so or pam_usb. Run: grep -r pam_usb /etc/pam.d/
    Affected if PAM configuration includes pam_usb module for any service (especially sudo, login, or su)
  6. Review recent pamusb-conf --reset-pads execution
    Check system logs and bash history for execution of pamusb-conf --reset-pads, as this command processes the vulnerable UUID field. Look in /var/log/auth.log or similar for pamusb events
    Affected if pamusb-conf has been run with device configurations containing suspicious UUID values

A system is affected if pam_usb version is below 0.8.7 AND the pam_usb PAM module is enabled AND the XML configuration contains device UUIDs or userName entries that could contain shell injection payloads.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade to pam_usb version 0.8.7 or later which implements proper input sanitization. Audit existing device configurations and XML files for malicious UUID or userName entries before upgrading.

Recommended fix High confidence

pam_usb version 0.8.7

  1. 1. Check the current installed version of pam_usb (e.g., dpkg -l | grep pam-usb or rpm -qa | grep pam-usb)
  2. 2. Obtain pam_usb version 0.8.7 from the official source (GitHub releases or distribution repository)
  3. 3. Upgrade the package using your distribution's package manager (apt-get, yum, dnf, or make install from source)
  4. 4. Verify the new version is installed: pamd-am --version or check package version
  5. 5. If using a package manager, ensure the repository providing 0.8.7 is configured; if building from source, ensure dependencies are met

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,120
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-44712 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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