CVE-2026-48792
MEDIUMpam_usb: pusb_has_virtual_input_device() silently discards EACCES, disabling remote desktop detection under non-root execution
Title source: cnaDescription
pam_usb provides hardware authentication for Linux using ordinary removable media. Prior to 0.9.1, src/evdev.c silently ignores EACCES errors when opening /dev/input/event* nodes, causing pusb_has_virtual_input_device() to return 0 (no virtual devices found) even when every open() call failed due to insufficient permissions. The caller in src/local.c cannot distinguish a clean absence of virtual devices from a permission-denied scan, and acts on the false negative by continuing authentication without denying. This vulnerability is fixed in 0.9.1.
References (3)
Core 3
Core References
X_Refsource_Confirm x_refsource_confirm
https://github.com/mcdope/pam_usb/security/advisories/GHSA-pvrg-chgw-x42c
X_Refsource_Misc x_refsource_misc
https://github.com/mcdope/pam_usb/issues/351
X_Refsource_Misc x_refsource_misc
https://github.com/mcdope/pam_usb/issues/55
Scores
CVSS v3
4.4
EPSS
0.0013
EPSS Percentile
2.8%
Attack Vector
LOCAL
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
CISA SSVC
Vulnrichment
Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical Impact
partial
Details
CWE
CWE-390
CWE-693
Status
published
Products (1)
mcdope/pam_usb
< 0.9.1
Published
May 27, 2026
Tracked Since
May 28, 2026