7.8
HIGH CVSS 3.1
CVE-2025-6018
Pam-config: lpe from unprivileged to allow_active in pam
Description

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.

INFO

Published Date :

July 23, 2025, 3:15 p.m.

Last Modified :

Oct. 9, 2025, 3:55 p.m.

Remotely Exploit :

No
Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2025-6018 vulnerability. Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the products that are affected, the information is not represented in the table below.

ID Vendor Product Action
1 Suse pam-config
CVSS Scores
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System is a standardized framework for assessing the severity of vulnerabilities in software and systems. We collect and displays CVSS scores from various sources for each CVE.
Score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Score Impact Score Source
CVSS 3.1 HIGH [email protected]
Solution
Update pam-config to the latest version to fix privilege escalation.
  • Update the pam-config package.
  • Apply system security patches.
  • Review and restrict Polkit actions.
Public PoC/Exploit Available at Github

CVE-2025-6018 has a 7 public PoC/Exploit available at Github. Go to the Public Exploits tab to see the list.

References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools

Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to CVE-2025-6018.

URL Resource
https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2025-6018 Third Party Advisory
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2372693 Issue Tracking Third Party Advisory
https://bugzilla.suse.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1243226 Exploit Third Party Advisory
https://cdn2.qualys.com/2025/06/17/suse15-pam-udisks-lpe.txt Exploit Issue Tracking Third Party Advisory
https://cdn2.qualys.com/2025/06/17/suse15-pam-udisks-lpe.txt Exploit Issue Tracking Third Party Advisory
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2025-6018 is associated with the following CWEs:

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC) stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2025-6018 weaknesses.

We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).

CVE-2025-6018

Python

Updated: 2 months, 1 week ago
0 stars 0 fork 0 watcher
Born at : July 30, 2025, 10:03 p.m. This repo has been linked 2 different CVEs too.

Contains List of CVE's that I have found (Individual + Collaborative work)

Updated: 1 month, 3 weeks ago
0 stars 0 fork 0 watcher
Born at : July 28, 2025, 1:07 p.m. This repo has been linked 106 different CVEs too.

CVE-2025-6018 Poc and Exploit

Python

Updated: 2 months, 1 week ago
1 stars 0 fork 0 watcher
Born at : July 24, 2025, 9:01 p.m. This repo has been linked 1 different CVEs too.

None

Updated: 1 month, 3 weeks ago
1 stars 0 fork 0 watcher
Born at : July 23, 2025, 11:54 a.m. This repo has been linked 88 different CVEs too.

一个 CVE 漏洞预警知识库,无 exp/poc,部分包含修复方案。A knowledge base of CVE security vulnerability, no PoCs/exploits.

Updated: 2 weeks, 3 days ago
141 stars 18 fork 18 watcher
Born at : Jan. 5, 2023, 2:19 a.m. This repo has been linked 198 different CVEs too.

Config files for my GitHub profile.

config github-config

Updated: 1 month, 3 weeks ago
0 stars 0 fork 0 watcher
Born at : Sept. 7, 2021, 4:22 a.m. This repo has been linked 30 different CVEs too.

📡 PoC auto collect from GitHub. ⚠️ Be careful Malware.

security cve exploit poc vulnerability

Updated: 2 weeks, 2 days ago
7289 stars 1207 fork 1207 watcher
Born at : Dec. 8, 2019, 1:03 p.m. This repo has been linked 821 different CVEs too.

Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.

The following list is the news that have been mention CVE-2025-6018 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2025-6018 vulnerability over time.

Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.

  • Initial Analysis by [email protected]

    Oct. 09, 2025

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:a:suse:pam-config:1.1.8-24.71.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    Added Reference Type Red Hat, Inc.: https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2025-6018 Types: Third Party Advisory
    Added Reference Type Red Hat, Inc.: https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2372693 Types: Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory
    Added Reference Type Red Hat, Inc.: https://bugzilla.suse.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1243226 Types: Exploit, Third Party Advisory
    Added Reference Type Red Hat, Inc.: https://cdn2.qualys.com/2025/06/17/suse15-pam-udisks-lpe.txt Types: Exploit, Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory
    Added Reference Type CISA-ADP: https://cdn2.qualys.com/2025/06/17/suse15-pam-udisks-lpe.txt Types: Exploit, Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory
  • New CVE Received by [email protected]

    Jul. 23, 2025

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Description 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.
    Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
    Added CWE CWE-863
    Added Reference https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2025-6018
    Added Reference https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2372693
    Added Reference https://bugzilla.suse.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1243226
    Added Reference https://cdn2.qualys.com/2025/06/17/suse15-pam-udisks-lpe.txt
  • CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0

    Jul. 23, 2025

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Reference https://cdn2.qualys.com/2025/06/17/suse15-pam-udisks-lpe.txt
EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days. Following chart shows the EPSS score history of the vulnerability.
Vulnerability Scoring Details
Base CVSS Score: 7.8
Attack Vector
Attack Complexity
Privileges Required
User Interaction
Scope
Confidentiality Impact
Integrity Impact
Availability Impact