Linux-PAM through 1.7.2 contains an observable timing discrepancy (CWE-208) in the pam_userdb modules plaintext-password comparison path in modules/pam_userdb/pam_userdb.c that allows a local or network-adjacent attacker able to repeatedly drive authentication through a calling service to recover the plaintext password of a target account by measuring response-timing differences.
Weakness
Two separate operations in a product require different amounts of time to complete, in a way that is observable to an actor and reveals security-relevant information about the state of the product, such as whether a particular operation was successful or not.
Affected Software
| Name | Vendor | Start Version | End Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | RedHat | pam-0:1.6.1-9.el10_2.1 | * |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10.0 Extended Update Support | RedHat | pam-0:1.6.1-8.el10_0.1 | * |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Extended Lifecycle Support | RedHat | pam-0:1.1.8-23.el7_9.3 | * |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | RedHat | pam-0:1.3.1-40.el8_10 | * |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Advanced Mission Critical Update Support | RedHat | pam-0:1.3.1-14.el8_4.3 | * |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Extended Update Support Long-Life Add-On | RedHat | pam-0:1.3.1-14.el8_4.3 | * |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 Advanced Mission Critical Update Support | RedHat | pam-0:1.3.1-16.el8_6.4 | * |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 Extended Update Support Long-Life Add-On | RedHat | pam-0:1.3.1-16.el8_6.4 | * |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.8 Telecommunications Update Service | RedHat | pam-0:1.3.1-26.el8_8.3 | * |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.8 Update Services for SAP Solutions | RedHat | pam-0:1.3.1-26.el8_8.3 | * |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | RedHat | pam-0:1.5.1-27.el9_8.1 | * |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | RedHat | pam-0:1.5.1-28.el9_8.1 | * |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | RedHat | pam-0:1.5.1-27.el9_8.1 | * |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | RedHat | pam-0:1.5.1-28.el9_8.1 | * |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.2 Update Services for SAP Solutions | RedHat | pam-0:1.5.1-15.el9_2.3 | * |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.4 Update Services for SAP Solutions | RedHat | pam-0:1.5.1-24.el9_4.2 | * |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.6 Extended Update Support | RedHat | pam-0:1.5.1-26.el9_6.1 | * |
| Red Hat Hardened Images | RedHat | pam-main-1.7.2-2.2.hum1 | * |
| Red Hat Hardened Images | RedHat | pam-main-1.7.2-1.1.hum1 | * |
| Pam | Ubuntu | jammy | * |
| Pam | Ubuntu | noble | * |
| Pam | Ubuntu | questing | * |
| Pam | Ubuntu | resolute | * |
Related Attack Patterns
- https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/462.html
- https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/541.html
- https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/580.html