CVE-2026-48986
pam_usb: Infinite loop DoS in process-tree walk when parent process exits during authentication
Description
pam_usb provides hardware authentication for Linux using removable media. In pam_usb 0.9.1 and earlier, usb_get_process_parent_id() can cause an infinite loop DoS because it does not initialize *ppid on failure. In pusb_local_login(), the same variable is reused as input and output in a process-tree while loop; if /proc/<pid>/stat cannot be read (for example, when an ancestor process exits during authentication), the PID is not updated and the loop does not terminate. This hangs the authenticating process (such as sudo, sshd, or login) until it is forcibly terminated. This issue has been fixed in version 0.9.2.
INFO
Published Date :
June 18, 2026, 5:20 p.m.
Last Modified :
June 18, 2026, 5:20 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
GitHub_M
Affected Products
The following products are affected by CVE-2026-48986
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.
No affected product recoded yet
Solution
- Update pam_usb to version 0.9.2.
- Verify pam_usb is updated on all systems.
- Monitor systems for authentication stability.
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CVE-2026-48986 vulnerability anywhere in the article.