HOME VULNERABILITIESCVE-2011-5054

MEDIUM

CVE-2011-5054

CWE-287Published: January 6, 2012· Updated: Jun 16, 2026

6.9

CVSS v3.1

Official Description

kcheckpass passes a user-supplied argument to the pam_start function, often within a setuid environment, which allows local users to invoke any configured PAM stack, and possibly trigger unintended side effects, via an arbitrary valid PAM service name, a different vulnerability than CVE-2011-4122. NOTE: the vendor indicates that the possibility of resultant privilege escalation may be "a bit far-fetched."

Technical Analysis

CVE-2011-5054 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.

Exploitation requires some privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.

From a weakness classification perspective (CWE-287): Authentication bypass vulnerabilities allow attackers to access protected resources without valid credentials.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability

Attack VectorLocal

Attack ComplexityM

Privileges Req.

User Interaction

Scope

Impact

ConfidentialityC

IntegrityC

AvailabilityC

AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Affected Vendors & Products

kde1 product(s)

kcheckpass

Source: NVD CPE · 1 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time

Offensive Security exploit database

GitHub PoC Search

Community PoC repositories

Rapid7 / Metasploit

Metasploit module search

Security advisories & exploits

Official NIST entry

CVE Program entry

External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

All References (20)

→

http://c-skills.blogspot.com/2011/11/openpam-trickery.html

→

http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/12/07/3

→

http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/12/08/9

→

http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/12/23/8

→

http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/12/27/1

→

http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/12/27/3

→

http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/12/28/5

→

http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/01/02/10

→

http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/01/02/11

→

https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/72230

→

http://c-skills.blogspot.com/2011/11/openpam-trickery.html

→

http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/12/07/3

→

http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/12/08/9

→

http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/12/23/8

→

http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/12/27/1

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2011-5054

CVSS Score6.9 / 10

SeverityMEDIUM

WeaknessCWE-287

CISA KEVNo

Affected1 vendor(s)

PublishedJan 6, 2012

Related CVEs (CWE-287)

Recommended Actions

→Apply vendor patches immediately
→Monitor CVE-2011-5054 in threat intel feeds
→Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts

Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.

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