CVE-2025-8941

Linux-pam: incomplete fix for cve-2025-6020

Description

A flaw was found in linux-pam. The pam_namespace module may improperly handle user-controlled paths, allowing local users to exploit symlink attacks and race conditions to elevate their privileges to root. This CVE provides a "complete" fix for CVE-2025-6020.

Remediation

Workaround:

  • Disable the `pam_namespace` module if it is not essential for your environment, or carefully review and configure it to avoid operating on any directories or paths that can be influenced or controlled by unprivileged users, such as user home directories or world-writable locations like `/tmp`.

Category

7.8
CVSS
Severity: High
CVSS 3.1 •
EPSS 0.02%
Affected: Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
Affected: Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
Affected: Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
Published at:
Updated at:

References

Link Tags
https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2025-8941 vdb entry
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2388220 issue tracking

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the severity of CVE-2025-8941?
CVE-2025-8941 has been scored as a high severity vulnerability.
How to fix CVE-2025-8941?
As a workaround for remediating CVE-2025-8941: Disable the `pam_namespace` module if it is not essential for your environment, or carefully review and configure it to avoid operating on any directories or paths that can be influenced or controlled by unprivileged users, such as user home directories or world-writable locations like `/tmp`.
Is CVE-2025-8941 being actively exploited in the wild?
As for now, there are no information to confirm that CVE-2025-8941 is being actively exploited. According to its EPSS score, there is a ~0% probability that this vulnerability will be exploited by malicious actors in the next 30 days.
What software or system is affected by CVE-2025-8941?
CVE-2025-8941 affects Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.
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