# CVE-2007-0844: Auth bypass in n/a

> Attackers can bypass authentication restrictions in pam_ssh by entering a non-blank passphrase for keys requiring a blank one, allowing unauthorized access.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.4 (`AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 8 Feb 2007
- **Updated:** 7 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2007-0844, GHSA-rqfq-63f3-qjmw

## What is CVE-2007-0844?

CVE-2007-0844 is a medium-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in n/a, published on 8 Feb 2007. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The auth_via_key function in pam_ssh.c in pam_ssh before 1.92, when the allow_blank_passphrase option is disabled, allows remote attackers to bypass authentication restrictions and use private encryption keys requiring a blank passphrase by entering a non-blank passphrase.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2007-0844?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Pam Ssh Pam Ssh.

## How do I fix CVE-2007-0844?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2007-0844 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2007-0844 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2007-0844 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2007-0844 is a medium-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in n/a, published on 8 Feb 2007. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2007-0844 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: n/a. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2007-0844/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2007-0844/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2007-0844
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2007-0844
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2007-0844

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2007-0844/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.