# CVE-2026-109968: Clevis PKCS#11 pin plaintext passphrase logging

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-109968-a-flaw-was-found-in-the-clevis-pkcs-11-pin-the-clevis-pkcs11  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-10-14. Updated: 2026-10-30  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-109968 · Severity: medium · CVSS 5.5 · Published 2026-10-14

Clevis is a framework for automatic LUKS disk encryption unlocking. A flaw in the PKCS#11 pin component causes disk encryption passphrases to be logged in plaintext to a world-readable log file. A local attacker with low privileges can read this log file to obtain the LUKS passphrase, potentially gaining access to encrypted disks.

Technologies: [Clevis](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/x-clevis).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-109968 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-109968 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-109968?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 5.5, published 14 October 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Clevis <UNKNOWN>.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-109968?** No fixed version is recorded yet. Configure the clevis-luks-pkcs11-askpass systemd service with a restrictive UMask of 0077 using systemctl edit to prevent non-root users from reading log files. Remove existing log files under /run/systemd/clevis-pkcs11-*.log after each boot, though this workaround does not cover the dracut initramfs code path. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

**How is CVE-2026-109968 attacked?** It is attacked with local access, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-109968?** Check whether you run Clevis at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## How to fix


Configure the clevis-luks-pkcs11-askpass systemd service with a restrictive UMask of 0077 using systemctl edit to prevent non-root users from reading log files. Remove existing log files under /run/systemd/clevis-pkcs11-*.log after each boot, though this workaround does not cover the dracut initramfs code path.

## Technical details

The clevis-pkcs11-afunix-socket-unlock daemon unconditionally logs LUKS passphrases in plaintext to /run/systemd/clevis-pkcs11-*.log with world-readable permissions (mode 0644 under default systemd UMask 0022). The vulnerability requires local access and an opt-in PKCS#11 configuration, but affects any system using the feature on every boot. Exploitation is trivial: a low-privileged local user can simply read the log file to recover credentials.

## Affected products

- Clevis <UNKNOWN>

## Timeline

- 2026-10-14: disclosed

## References

- [https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/](https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/)
- [https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-109968](https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-109968)

## Related threats

- [Clevis PKCS#11 pin world-readable token PIN exposure](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-109970-a-flaw-was-found-in-the-clevis-pkcs-11-pin-the-clevis-luks)
- [clevis PKCS#11 pin missing authentication on AF_UNIX sockets](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-109969-a-flaw-was-found-in-the-clevis-pkcs-11-pin-the-clevis-pkcs11)