Linux-PAM pam_namespace LPE via Symlink Race
CVE-2025-8941 Published on August 13, 2025

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.

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Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2025-8941 can be exploited with local system access, and requires small amount of user privileges. This vulnerability is considered to have a low attack complexity. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to be very high.

Attack Vector:
LOCAL
Attack Complexity:
LOW
Privileges Required:
LOW
User Interaction:
NONE
Scope:
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality Impact:
HIGH
Integrity Impact:
HIGH
Availability Impact:
HIGH

Weakness Type

What is a Directory traversal Vulnerability?

The software uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the software does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.

CVE-2025-8941 has been classified to as a Directory traversal vulnerability or weakness.


Products Associated with CVE-2025-8941

You can be notified by email with stack.watch whenever vulnerabilities like CVE-2025-8941 are published in these products:

Rhelels 7
 
Enterpriselinux 8
 
Rhelaus 8 2
 
Rhelaus 8 4
 
Rheleuslonglife 8 4
 
Rheltus 8 6
 
Rhelaus 8 6
 
Rhele4s 8 6
 
Rheltus 8 8
 
Rhele4s 8 8
 
Enterpriselinux 9
 
Rhele4s 9 0
 
Rhele4s 9 2
 
Rheleus 9 4
 
Confidentialcomputeattestation 1 10
 
Red Hat Rhel Els
 
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
 
Red Hat Rhel Aus
 
Red Hat Rhel Eus Long Life
 
Red Hat Rhel Tus
 
Red Hat Rhel E4s
 
Red Hat Rhel Eus
 
Red Hat Webterminal
 
Red Hat Confidential Compute Attestation
 
Red Hat Discovery
 
Red Hat Rhivos
 
Red Hat Cert Manager
 
Red Hat Insights Proxy
 
Red Hat Openshift Compliance Operator
 

Exploit Probability

EPSS
0.01%
Percentile
1.48%

EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) scores estimate the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. The percentile shows you how this score compares to all other vulnerabilities.