# CVE-2025-6018: Pam-config: lpe from unprivileged to allow_active in pam

Status: published. Published: 2025-07-23. Updated: 2026-11-04.

A Local Privilege Escalation (LPE) vulnerability has been discovered in pam-config within Linux Pluggable Authentication Modules (PAM). This flaw allows an unprivileged local attacker (for example, a user logged in via SSH) to obtain the elevated privileges normally reserved for a physically present, "allow_active" user. The highest risk is that the attacker can then perform all allow_active yes Polkit actions, which are typically restricted to console users, potentially gaining unauthorized control over system configurations, services, or other sensitive operations.

## Remediation

- workaround: Currently, there is no mitigation available for this vulnerability. (source: CNA: redhat)

## Affected products and versions

-  /  (pam): ≥ 0; < 1.1.8-24.71.1 (affected, custom). Source: CNA: redhat
- Red Hat / Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 (pam): Version range not reported. Source: CNA: redhat
- Red Hat / Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 (pam): Version range not reported. Source: CNA: redhat
- Red Hat / Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 (pam): Version range not reported. Source: CNA: redhat

## NVD configuration conditions

Affected CPE matches depend on the following AND/OR and negation conditions:

```json
[
  {
    "negate": false,
    "nodes": [
      {
        "cpeMatch": [
          {
            "criteria": "cpe:2.3:a:suse:pam-config:1.1.8-24.71.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
            "vulnerable": true
          }
        ],
        "negate": false,
        "operator": "OR"
      }
    ],
    "operator": "OR"
  }
]
```

## Severity and prioritization

- CVSS 3.1: 7.8 (high); CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H; source: CNA: redhat

- CVSS 3.1: 7.8 (high); CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H; source: NVD: secalert@redhat.com

- CISA KEV: No listing in collected sources

- EPSS: 1.10% as of 2026-11-04; percentile 65.81%

- SSVC: exploitation poc; automatable no; technical impact total; source ADP: CISA-ADP

- Weaknesses: CWE-863

## Exploit evidence

- exploit: https://cdn2.qualys.com/2025/06/17/suse15-pam-udisks-lpe.txt (ADP: CISA-ADP)
- exploit: https://bugzilla.suse.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1243226 (secalert@redhat.com)
- exploit: https://cdn2.qualys.com/2025/06/17/suse15-pam-udisks-lpe.txt (secalert@redhat.com)
- exploit: https://cdn2.qualys.com/2025/06/17/suse15-pam-udisks-lpe.txt (134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0)

## References

- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2025-6018 (CNA: redhat; vdb-entry, x_refsource_REDHAT)

- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2372693 (CNA: redhat; issue-tracking, x_refsource_REDHAT)

- https://bugzilla.suse.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1243226 (CNA: redhat)

- https://cdn2.qualys.com/2025/06/17/suse15-pam-udisks-lpe.txt (CNA: redhat)

- https://cdn2.qualys.com/2025/06/17/suse15-pam-udisks-lpe.txt (ADP: CISA-ADP; exploit)

- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2025/08/28/4 (ADP: CVE)

- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2025-6018 (secalert@redhat.com; Third Party Advisory)

- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2372693 (secalert@redhat.com; Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory)

- https://bugzilla.suse.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1243226 (secalert@redhat.com; Exploit, Third Party Advisory)

- https://cdn2.qualys.com/2025/06/17/suse15-pam-udisks-lpe.txt (secalert@redhat.com; Exploit, Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory)

- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2025/08/28/4 (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)

- https://cdn2.qualys.com/2025/06/17/suse15-pam-udisks-lpe.txt (134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0; Exploit, Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory)

## Provenance

- CNA: redhat: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-6018; retrieved 2026-11-04; source updated 2026-11-04

- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-6018; retrieved 2026-11-05; source updated 2026-11-04

- FIRST EPSS: https://api.first.org/data/v1/epss?cve=CVE-2025-6018; retrieved 2026-11-04; source updated Not reported

Revision: 6b1525558fddb9450acfa71c8e7883249279b9f2e2bcbb5f5063332e99d2d7b7

Canonical: https://y2.dev/cve/CVE-2025-6018

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