CVE-2026-48064: Auth Bypass (CVSS 8.1)

Description

pam_usb provides hardware authentication for Linux using ordinary removable media. Prior to 0.9.1, when a PAM service is configured with deny_remote=false in pam_usb (commonly done for display managers such as gdm-password or lightdm to bypass process/TTY heuristics for local sessions), the PAM_RHOST check in pusb_do_auth() is also skipped. PAM_RHOST is set by remote daemons (sshd, XDMCP servers) to identify the remote client address. Because the check is gated inside if (opts.deny_remote), a genuine remote XDMCP connection reaches the USB device authentication step instead of being rejected. This vulnerability is fixed in 0.9.1.

Is your site exposed to CVE-2026-48064?

Run a free security scan — no signup, results in seconds.

CVSS v3.1 Score

8.1

HIGH

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0034

Probability of exploitation

0.26%

Percentile rank

EPSS estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A higher score means more likely to be exploited.

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-863 Incorrect Authorization

References

Other References

https://github.com/mcdope/pam_usb/issues/348 https://github.com/mcdope/pam_usb/security/advisories/GHSA-w38v-cw9r-x9p6 https://github.com/mcdope/pam_usb/issues/348

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-48064? +

pam_usb provides hardware authentication for Linux using ordinary removable media. Prior to 0.9.1, when a PAM service is configured with deny_remote=false in pam_usb (commonly done for display managers such as gdm-password or lightdm to bypass process/TTY heuristics for local sessions), the PAM_RHOST check in pusb_do_auth() is also skipped. PAM_RHOST is set by remote daemons (sshd, XDMCP servers) to identify the remote client address. Because the check is gated inside if (opts.deny_remote), a genuine remote XDMCP connection reaches the USB device authentication step instead of being rejected. This vulnerability is fixed in 0.9.1. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1 (HIGH).

How severe is CVE-2026-48064? +

CVE-2026-48064 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 8.1 out of 10, rated HIGH. This is a high-severity vulnerability that should be prioritized for patching. The EPSS score is 0.0034, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-48064? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

Related Vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-50008

Parse Server is an open source backend that can be deployed to any infrastructure that can run Node.js. From version …

CVE-2026-42571

Pelican is a platform for creating data federations. From versions 7.21.0 to before 7.21.5, 7.22.0 to before 7.22.3, 7.23.0 to …

CVE-2026-42137

Kirby is an open-source content management system. Prior to versions 4.9.0 and 5.4.0, `pages.access/list` and `files.access/list` permissions are not consistently …

CVE-2026-54358

An incorrect authorization vulnerability in MISP allows an organization administrator to target site administrator accounts belonging to the same organization …

CVE-2026-42160

Data Space Portal is an open-source Software as a Service (SaaS) solution designed to streamline Dataspace management. From version 2.1.1 …

CVE-2026-42604

Actual is a local-first personal finance tool. The `POST /openid/config` endpoint in Actual Budget's sync-server versions <= 26.4.0 exposes the …

CVE-2026-48064