# CVE-2026-44710: pam_usb NULL pointer dereference in device enumeration

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-44710-pam-usb-null-pointer-dereference-in-device-enumeration  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-05-27. Updated: 2026-05-27  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-44710 · Severity: medium · CVSS 4.6 · Published 2026-05-27

pam_usb is a tool that allows users to log into Linux systems using a physical USB drive instead of a password. A flaw in how the software identifies these drives allows a specially crafted USB device to crash the login system. This can result in a denial-of-service where legitimate users are locked out of their computers or servers until the malicious device is removed.

Technologies: [Mcdope Pam Usb](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/pam-usb). Vendors: [Mcdope](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/mcdope).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-44710 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-44710 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-44710?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 4.6, published 27 May 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Mcdope Pam Usb < 0.8.7.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-44710?** No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. 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-2026-44710 attacked?** It is attacked with physical access, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-44710?** Check whether you run Mcdope Pam Usb 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.

## Technical details

A NULL pointer dereference exists in src/device.c of pam_usb prior to version 0.8.7. The software passes the return values of udisks_drive_get_serial(), udisks_drive_get_vendor(), and udisks_drive_get_model() directly to strcmp() without verifying they are non-NULL. According to GIO/UDisks API documentation, these functions return NULL if a device does not expose those fields. An attacker with physical access can insert a USB device (or mass-storage gadget) lacking these descriptors to trigger a SIGSEGV in the PAM module. This crashes the authentication process, potentially locking out all users of the affected service. The issue is fixed in version 0.8.7 by adding explicit NULL checks.

## Affected products

- mcdope pam_usb < 0.8.7

## Timeline

- 2026-05-07: advisory: GitHub advisory published by maintainer
- 2026-05-27: disclosed: CVE published to NVD

## References

- [https://github.com/mcdope/pam_usb/security/advisories/GHSA-j8cq-2gv6-gfwf](https://github.com/mcdope/pam_usb/security/advisories/GHSA-j8cq-2gv6-gfwf)

## Related threats

- [pam_usb heap out-of-bounds read in display server handling](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-64667-pam-usb-provides-hardware-authentication-for-linux-using)
- [pam_usb XRDP session bypass via environment variable](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-64666-pam-usb-provides-hardware-authentication-for-linux-using)
- [mcdope pam_usb symlink race condition in pad directory creation](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-48983-mcdope-pam-usb-symlink-race-condition-in-pad-directory-creation)
- [mcdope pam_usb race condition in one-time pad update](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-48982-mcdope-pam-usb-race-condition-in-one-time-pad-update)
- [mcdope pam_usb XXE in configuration file parsing](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-48981-mcdope-pam-usb-xxe-in-configuration-file-parsing)