CVE-2011-5054
kcheckpass passes a user-supplied argument to the pam_start function, often within a setuid environment, which allows local users to invoke any configured PAM stack, and possibly trigger unintended side effects, via an arbitrary valid PAM service name, a different vulnerability than CVE-2011-4122. NOTE: the vendor indicates that the possibility of resultant privilege escalation may be "a bit far-fetched."
Key facts
- CVSS score
- 6.9 (v2.0)
- Severity
- MEDIUM
- CVSS vector
AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C- Weakness (CWE)
- CWE-287
- EPSS score
- 0.3% (26th percentile)
- In CISA KEV
- No
- In EU EUVD
- Yes (EUVD-2011-4957)
- Published
- January 6, 2012
- NVD last modified
- June 16, 2026
- Status
- Modified
EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD)
This vulnerability is also tracked by ENISA as EUVD-2011-4957 in the EU Vulnerability Database. Last updated in EUVD on August 7, 2024.
View on the EU Vulnerability DatabaseAffected products
- kde / kcheckpass
References
- http://c-skills.blogspot.com/2011/11/openpam-trickery.html
- http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/12/07/3
- http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/12/08/9
- http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/12/23/8
- http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/12/27/1
- http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/12/27/3
- http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/12/28/5
- http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/01/02/10
- http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/01/02/11
- https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/72230
Last updated September 17, 2026 · Source: NVD, CISA KEV, FIRST.org EPSS
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