Overview
In the constantly evolving landscape of cybersecurity, a new vulnerability has emerged that poses a significant risk to the Linux ecosystem. Identified as CVE-2025-6018, this vulnerability is a Local Privilege Escalation (LPE) flaw found in pam-config within the Linux Pluggable Authentication Modules (PAM). It has the potential to compromise the security of an entire system, affecting any unprivileged local attacker who can exploit it to gain unauthorized control over system configurations, services, or other sensitive operations.
The widespread use of Linux systems across various sectors, from personal computing to enterprise-level applications, makes this vulnerability particularly sinister. The potential for system compromise or data leakage is immense, and hence, it is of paramount importance that this vulnerability is understood and mitigated.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-6018
Severity: High, CVSS score 7.8
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Unauthorized system control, potential system compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Linux Pluggable Authentication Modules (PAM) | Versions prior to patch release
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability in question exists in the pam-config of the Linux PAM. It allows an unprivileged local attacker, such as a user logged in via SSH, to escalate their privileges to the level of a physically present, “allow_active” user. This means that they can perform all “allow_active yes” Polkit actions, which are typically restricted to console users.
By exploiting this vulnerability, an attacker can potentially gain unauthorized control over system configurations, services, or other sensitive operations. The consequence of this can range from system instability to full system compromise, with the potential for data leakage.
Conceptual Example Code
Given the nature of this vulnerability, a simple shell command can be used to demonstrate how it might be exploited.
user@host:~$ ssh target_host
user@target_host's password:
user@target_host:~$ echo 'exploit_code' | sudo -S pam-config --add --allow_active=yesThis example is purely conceptual and does not contain actual exploit code. It merely demonstrates how an attacker might use SSH to access the target system and then attempt to escalate their privileges via sudo and the vulnerable pam-config.
Countermeasures
The most effective countermeasure against this vulnerability is to apply the vendor-supplied patch as soon as it is available. In the meantime, the use of a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can serve as a temporary mitigation measure, helping to detect and prevent potential exploit attempts. Regular monitoring and auditing of system logs can also aid in early detection of any unusual activity.
