CVE-2023-40660 Opensc: potential pin bypass when card tracks its own login state
Attackers can bypass PIN authentication on smart cards by passing an empty PIN, allowing unauthorized cryptographic operations and system access.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- A user has to click or open something
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2023-40660?
CVE-2023-40660 is a medium-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in Opensc Project Opensc, published on 6 Nov 2023. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Official description
A flaw was found in OpenSC packages that allow a potential PIN bypass. When a token/card is authenticated by one process, it can perform cryptographic operations in other processes when an empty zero-length pin is passed. This issue poses a security risk, particularly for OS logon/screen unlock and for small, permanently connected tokens to computers. Additionally, the token can internally track login status. This flaw allows an attacker to gain unauthorized access, carry out malicious actions, or compromise the system without the user's awareness.
Weakness: CWE-287
Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-40660?
It affects 2 products.
Products include Opensc Project Opensc, Redhat Enterprise Linux.
How do I fix CVE-2023-40660?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade, and rotate credentials and sessions that may have been exposed. More about Authentication bypass.
Is CVE-2023-40660 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-40660 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Opensc Project Opensc
Sources
Also known as AZL-31787, AZL-35074, CLSA-2026-1779368985, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-40660, GHSA-7635-x5f9-5458, OESA-2023-1766 and 2 more.