Symlink Race Condition in Linux Hardware Authentication Tool by McDope
CVE-2026-48983

5.8MEDIUM

Key Information:

Vendor

Mcdope

Status
Pam Usb
Vendor
CVE Published:
18 June 2026

What is CVE-2026-48983?

A symlink race condition in versions of pam_usb prior to 0.9.2 allows local attackers to exploit the authentication mechanism by replacing target paths with symlinks to directories they control. This flaw arises from a check-then-act programming pattern where the existence of a directory is checked and then created separately. Successful exploitation can lead to unauthorized access through compromised one-time pad files, impacting the integrity of the authentication process and potentially exposing sensitive pad values. The issue has been resolved in the 0.9.2 release.

Affected Version(s)

pam_usb < 0.9.2

References

https://github.com/mcdope/pam_usb/security/advisories/GHS...
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https://github.com/mcdope/pam_usb/releases/tag/0.9.2
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CVSS V3.1

Score:
5.8
Severity:
MEDIUM
Confidentiality:
High
Integrity:
Low
Availability:
High
Attack Vector:
Local
Attack Complexity:
High
Privileges Required:
Low
User Interaction:
None
Scope:
Unchanged

Timeline

  • Vulnerability published

  • Vulnerability Reserved

.