CVE-2026-48985: mcdope pam_usb NULL pointer dereference in pusb_is_loginctl_local

CVE-2026-48985 · Severity: medium · CVSS 5.5 · Published 2026-06-18

pam_usb is a tool that allows users to log into Linux systems using a USB flash drive as a physical key. A flaw in how the software processes login information can cause the authentication process to crash. This could prevent legitimate users from logging into the system or using administrative commands like sudo, potentially leading to a complete lockout from the affected service.

Technologies: Mcdope Pam Usb. Vendors: Mcdope.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2026-48985 exploited in the wild?
No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-48985 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2026-48985?
Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 5.5, published 18 June 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?
Mcdope Pam Usb <= 0.9.1.
Is there a fix for CVE-2026-48985?
A patch was published on 2026-05-23: Version 0.9.2 released Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.
How is CVE-2026-48985 attacked?
It is attacked with local access, in a software library.
Am I affected by CVE-2026-48985?
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 the pusb_is_loginctl_local() function within src/local.c of pam_usb. The vulnerability occurs when the function parses output from loginctl; if the 'Remote' field contains only a newline character, fgets() succeeds but a subsequent strtok_r() call returns NULL. The code then passes this NULL pointer to strcmp(), causing a SIGSEGV. An attacker with local access could trigger this condition to crash authentication processes such as sudo or login, leading to a denial of service. This issue is fixed in version 0.9.2.

Affected products

  • mcdope pam_usb <= 0.9.1

Timeline

  • 2026-05-23: patched: Version 0.9.2 released
  • 2026-05-24: advisory: GitHub Security Advisory published
  • 2026-06-18: disclosed: CVE published to NVD

References

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