CVE-2025-8941Linux-pam: incomplete fix for cve-2025-6020

Description

A flaw was found in linux-pam. The pam_namespace module may improperly handle user-controlled paths, allowing local users to exploit symlink attacks and race conditions to elevate their privileges to root. This CVE provides a "complete" fix for CVE-2025-6020.

Timeline

Scores

EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)

0.28% · top 79% of all CVEs (12 Nov 2026)

CISA SSVC

Exploitation: none · Automatable: no · Technical impact: total

The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: High 7.8.

Affected products

• linux-pam

  All versions: unaffected

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Extended Lifecycle Support

  • unaffected 0:1.1.8-23.el7_9.2 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8

  • unaffected 0:1.3.1-38.el8_10 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.2 Advanced Update Support

  • unaffected 0:1.3.1-8.el8_2.2 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Advanced Mission Critical Update Support

  • unaffected 0:1.3.1-14.el8_4.2 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Extended Update Support Long-Life Add-On

  • unaffected 0:1.3.1-14.el8_4.2 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 Advanced Mission Critical Update Support

  • unaffected 0:1.3.1-16.el8_6.3 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 Telecommunications Update Service

  • unaffected 0:1.3.1-16.el8_6.3 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 Update Services for SAP Solutions

  • unaffected 0:1.3.1-16.el8_6.3 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.8 Telecommunications Update Service

  • unaffected 0:1.3.1-26.el8_8.2 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.8 Update Services for SAP Solutions

  • unaffected 0:1.3.1-26.el8_8.2 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9

  • unaffected 0:1.5.1-26.el9_6 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9

  • unaffected 0:1.5.1-26.el9_6 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.0 Update Services for SAP Solutions

  • unaffected 0:1.5.1-9.el9_0.3 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.2 Update Services for SAP Solutions

  • unaffected 0:1.5.1-15.el9_2.2 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.4 Extended Update Support

  • unaffected 0:1.5.1-24.el9_4.1 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Web Terminal 1.11 on RHEL 9

  • unaffected 1.11-19 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Web Terminal 1.11 on RHEL 9

  • unaffected 1.11-8 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Web Terminal 1.12 on RHEL 9

  • unaffected 1.12-4 – < *

• Red Hat · cert-manager operator for Red Hat OpenShift 1.16

  • unaffected sha256:330e8b5ab4841a21f8f5f23cc7fb192197872f11639b12bf4b1e70831f636323 – < *

• Red Hat · Compliance Operator 1

  • unaffected sha256:c953e9f9abf9cf25bf65bb3ffdc86ccf49b3e69a1cf3fbb47b6972e421fd6628 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Discovery 2

  • unaffected sha256:c85cfbcaf7888885e57596b7b8bde3894718cfc33326499b24961a66a62cf083 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Insights proxy 1.5

  • unaffected sha256:4ca38b33efec0d2dd17a8fd822a7c18281810676ceabb0c1db90953cb91cd5ea – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat OpenShift sandboxed containers 1.1

  • unaffected sha256:24722900db1425bf0c27f6ad6f3fb7d79ff9ebc433bdab58423fa71bab76122b – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat OpenShift sandboxed containers 1.1

  • unaffected sha256:f5e1602d72177d77f1b879c76e6f6cfbc2979c136c06ca9f03ea97ffb369b7a6 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat OpenShift sandboxed containers 1.1

  • unaffected sha256:cead623ceda4048cabaa81c371ed2a8143f5c5514276fca1d71685bd9e6d1e65 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat OpenShift sandboxed containers 1.1

  • unaffected sha256:59fb1f7f1653361d94f7d48b42d8fe19ed3263c1c78654837c11f2135544c1ac – < *

What to do

Workaround: Disable the `pam_namespace` module if it is not essential for your environment, or carefully review and configure it to avoid operating on any directories or paths that can be influenced or controlled by unprivileged users, such as user home directories or world-writable locations like `/tmp`.

Sources

The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.

• CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
• CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
• NVD (opens in a new tab)
• FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
• EUVD EUVD-2025-24657 (opens in a new tab)
• OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
• GitHub Advisories (opens in a new tab)
• CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)

Badge for a README or a ticket

[![CVE-2025-8941](https://cveledger.app/badge/CVE-2025-8941.svg)](https://cveledger.app/cve/CVE-2025-8941)

Record last updated 26 Feb 2026, 17:48 UTC.