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Amazon Linux 2023 : pam, pam-devel (ALAS2023-2025-1121)

🗓️ 04 Aug 2025 00:00:00Reported by TenableType 
nessus
 nessus
🔗 www.tenable.com👁 5 Views

Amazon Linux 2023 is vulnerable due to pam_namespace flaw allowing privilege escalation via symlink attacks.

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#%NASL_MIN_LEVEL 80900
##
# (C) Tenable, Inc.
#
# The descriptive text and package checks in this plugin were
# extracted from Amazon Linux 2023 Security Advisory ALAS2023-2025-1121.
##

include('compat.inc');

if (description)
{
  script_id(243491);
  script_version("1.2");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_modification_date", value:"2025/08/14");

  script_cve_id("CVE-2025-6020");

  script_name(english:"Amazon Linux 2023 : pam, pam-devel (ALAS2023-2025-1121)");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"synopsis", value:
"The remote Amazon Linux 2023 host is missing a security update.");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"description", value:
"It is, therefore, affected by a vulnerability as referenced in the ALAS2023-2025-1121 advisory.

    A flaw was found in linux-pam. The module pam_namespace may use access user-controlled paths without
    proper protection, allowing local users to elevate their privileges to root via multiple symlink attacks
    and race conditions. (CVE-2025-6020)

Tenable has extracted the preceding description block directly from the tested product security advisory.

Note that Nessus has not tested for this issue but has instead relied only on the application's self-reported version
number.");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"see_also", value:"https://alas.aws.amazon.com//AL2023/ALAS2023-2025-1121.html");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"see_also", value:"https://alas.aws.amazon.com/faqs.html");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"see_also", value:"https://explore.alas.aws.amazon.com/CVE-2025-6020.html");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"solution", value:
"Run 'dnf update pam --releasever 2023.8.20250808' to update your system.");
  script_set_cvss_base_vector("CVSS2#AV:L/AC:L/Au:S/C:C/I:C/A:C");
  script_set_cvss_temporal_vector("CVSS2#E:U/RL:OF/RC:C");
  script_set_cvss3_base_vector("CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H");
  script_set_cvss3_temporal_vector("CVSS:3.0/E:U/RL:O/RC:C");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cvss_score_source", value:"CVE-2025-6020");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"exploitability_ease", value:"No known exploits are available");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"exploit_available", value:"false");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"vuln_publication_date", value:"2025/06/17");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"patch_publication_date", value:"2025/08/04");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_publication_date", value:"2025/08/04");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_type", value:"local");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"p-cpe:/a:amazon:linux:pam");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"p-cpe:/a:amazon:linux:pam-debuginfo");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"p-cpe:/a:amazon:linux:pam-debugsource");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"p-cpe:/a:amazon:linux:pam-devel");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"p-cpe:/a:amazon:linux:pam-docs");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"cpe:/o:amazon:linux:2023");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"generated_plugin", value:"current");
  script_end_attributes();

  script_category(ACT_GATHER_INFO);
  script_family(english:"Amazon Linux Local Security Checks");

  script_copyright(english:"This script is Copyright (C) 2025 and is owned by Tenable, Inc. or an Affiliate thereof.");

  script_dependencies("ssh_get_info.nasl");
  script_require_keys("Host/local_checks_enabled", "Host/AmazonLinux/release", "Host/AmazonLinux/rpm-list");

  exit(0);
}

include("rpm.inc");

if (!get_kb_item("Host/local_checks_enabled")) audit(AUDIT_LOCAL_CHECKS_NOT_ENABLED);

var alas_release = get_kb_item("Host/AmazonLinux/release");
if (isnull(alas_release) || !strlen(alas_release)) audit(AUDIT_OS_NOT, "Amazon Linux");
var os_ver = pregmatch(pattern: "^AL(A|\d+|-\d+)", string:alas_release);
if (isnull(os_ver)) audit(AUDIT_UNKNOWN_APP_VER, "Amazon Linux");
os_ver = os_ver[1];
if (os_ver != "-2023")
{
  if (os_ver == 'A') os_ver = 'AMI';
  audit(AUDIT_OS_NOT, "Amazon Linux 2023", "Amazon Linux " + os_ver);
}

if (!get_kb_item("Host/AmazonLinux/rpm-list")) audit(AUDIT_PACKAGE_LIST_MISSING);

var pkgs = [
    {'reference':'pam-1.5.1-8.amzn2023.0.6', 'cpu':'aarch64', 'release':'AL-2023', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'pam-1.5.1-8.amzn2023.0.6', 'cpu':'x86_64', 'release':'AL-2023', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'pam-debuginfo-1.5.1-8.amzn2023.0.6', 'cpu':'aarch64', 'release':'AL-2023', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'pam-debuginfo-1.5.1-8.amzn2023.0.6', 'cpu':'x86_64', 'release':'AL-2023', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'pam-debugsource-1.5.1-8.amzn2023.0.6', 'cpu':'aarch64', 'release':'AL-2023', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'pam-debugsource-1.5.1-8.amzn2023.0.6', 'cpu':'x86_64', 'release':'AL-2023', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'pam-devel-1.5.1-8.amzn2023.0.6', 'cpu':'aarch64', 'release':'AL-2023', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'pam-devel-1.5.1-8.amzn2023.0.6', 'cpu':'x86_64', 'release':'AL-2023', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'pam-docs-1.5.1-8.amzn2023.0.6', 'cpu':'aarch64', 'release':'AL-2023', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE},
    {'reference':'pam-docs-1.5.1-8.amzn2023.0.6', 'cpu':'x86_64', 'release':'AL-2023', 'rpm_spec_vers_cmp':TRUE}
];

var flag = 0;
foreach var package_array ( pkgs ) {
  var reference = NULL;
  var _release = NULL;
  var sp = NULL;
  var _cpu = NULL;
  var el_string = NULL;
  var rpm_spec_vers_cmp = NULL;
  var epoch = NULL;
  var allowmaj = NULL;
  var exists_check = NULL;
  var cves = NULL;
  if (!empty_or_null(package_array['reference'])) reference = package_array['reference'];
  if (!empty_or_null(package_array['release'])) _release = package_array['release'];
  if (!empty_or_null(package_array['sp'])) sp = package_array['sp'];
  if (!empty_or_null(package_array['cpu'])) _cpu = package_array['cpu'];
  if (!empty_or_null(package_array['el_string'])) el_string = package_array['el_string'];
  if (!empty_or_null(package_array['rpm_spec_vers_cmp'])) rpm_spec_vers_cmp = package_array['rpm_spec_vers_cmp'];
  if (!empty_or_null(package_array['epoch'])) epoch = package_array['epoch'];
  if (!empty_or_null(package_array['allowmaj'])) allowmaj = package_array['allowmaj'];
  if (!empty_or_null(package_array['exists_check'])) exists_check = package_array['exists_check'];
  if (!empty_or_null(package_array['cves'])) cves = package_array['cves'];
  if (reference && _release && (!exists_check || rpm_exists(release:_release, rpm:exists_check))) {
    if (rpm_check(release:_release, sp:sp, cpu:_cpu, reference:reference, epoch:epoch, el_string:el_string, rpm_spec_vers_cmp:rpm_spec_vers_cmp, allowmaj:allowmaj, cves:cves)) flag++;
  }
}

if (flag)
{
  security_report_v4(
      port       : 0,
      severity   : SECURITY_WARNING,
      extra      : rpm_report_get()
  );
  exit(0);
}
else
{
  var tested = pkg_tests_get();
  if (tested) audit(AUDIT_PACKAGE_NOT_AFFECTED, tested);
  else audit(AUDIT_PACKAGE_NOT_INSTALLED, "pam / pam-debuginfo / pam-debugsource / etc");
}

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14 Aug 2025 00:00Current
7.4High risk
Vulners AI Score7.4
CVSS 3.17.8
EPSS0.00399
SSVC
5