# CVE-2025-24531: Auth bypass in pam pkcs11

> Attackers can bypass authentication by triggering smartcard errors, as the PAM module incorrectly returns ignore status.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.7 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 16 Jan 2026
- **Updated:** 16 Jan 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2025-24531, GHSA-7mf6-rg36-qgch, SUSE-SU-2025:20130-1, SUSE-SU-2025:20225-1, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-24531

## What is CVE-2025-24531?

CVE-2025-24531 is a medium-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in OpenSC project pam_pkcs11, published on 16 Jan 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

In OpenSC pam_pkcs11 before 0.6.13, pam_sm_authenticate() wrongly returns PAM_IGNORE in many error situations (such as an error triggered by a smartcard before login), allowing authentication bypass.

Weakness: CWE-393 (Return of Wrong Status Code)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-24531?


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `pam_pkcs11` | SUSE:Linux Micro 6.0 | All versions | 0.6.12-2.1 |
| `pam_pkcs11` | SUSE:Linux Micro 6.1 | All versions | 0.6.12-slfo.1.1_3.1 |

## How do I fix CVE-2025-24531?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2025-24531 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-24531 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-24531 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-24531 is a medium-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in OpenSC project pam_pkcs11, published on 16 Jan 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-24531 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: OpenSC project pam_pkcs11. 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-2025-24531/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-24531/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-24531
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-24531
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-24531

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-24531/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.