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CVE-2015-3238

The _unix_run_helper_binary function in the pam_unix module in Linux-PAM (aka pam) before 1.2.1,...

6.5 MediumFix available

The _unix_run_helper_binary function in the pam_unix module in Linux-PAM (aka pam) before 1.2.1, when unable to directly access passwords, allows local users to enumerate usernames or cause a denial of service (hang) via a large password.

Attack profile

How easy it is to exploit

Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges needed
None
User interaction
None

What an attacker can affect

Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
Low

Exploit likelihood

2.71%Unchanged since Feb 4, 2022
90%50%10%1%

What each source reports

NVD Score used 6.5

The _unix_run_helper_binary function in the pam_unix module in Linux-PAM (aka pam) before 1.2.1, when unable to directly access passwords, allows local users to enumerate usernames or cause a denial of service (hang) via a large password.

Record
CVE-2015-3238
CVSS 3.0
6.5 MediumCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:L
CVSS 2.0
5.8 MediumAV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:P
Weakness
CWE-200
Updated
2026-11-02
CVE List No score

The _unix_run_helper_binary function in the pam_unix module in Linux-PAM (aka pam) before 1.2.1, when unable to directly access passwords, allows local users to enumerate usernames or cause a denial of service (hang) via a large password.

Record
CVE-2015-3238
Updated
2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2015-3294 No score

The _unix_run_helper_binary function in the pam_unix module in Linux-PAM (aka pam) before 1.2.1, when unable to directly access passwords, allows local users to enumerate usernames or cause a denial of service (hang) via a large password.

Record
EUVD-2015-3294
Updated
2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-6r75-hhm5-f689 6.5

The _unix_run_helper_binary function in the pam_unix module in Linux-PAM (aka pam) before 1.2.1,...

The _unix_run_helper_binary function in the pam_unix module in Linux-PAM (aka pam) before 1.2.1, when unable to directly access passwords, allows local users to enumerate usernames or cause a denial of service (hang) via a large password.

Record
GHSA-6r75-hhm5-f689
CVSS 3.0
6.5 MediumCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:L
Weakness
CWE-200
Updated
2026-11-02
OSV 6.5

The _unix_run_helper_binary function in the pam_unix module in Linux-PAM (aka pam) before 1.2.1, when unable to directly access passwords, allows local users to enumerate usernames or cause a denial of service (hang) via a large password.

Record
CVE-2015-3238
CVSS 3.0
6.5 MediumCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:L
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2015-3238 6.5

The _unix_run_helper_binary function in the pam_unix module in Linux-PAM (aka pam) before 1.2.1, when unable to directly access passwords, allows local users to enumerate usernames or cause a denial of service (hang) via a large password.

Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2015-3238
CVSS 3.0
6.5 MediumCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:L
Updated
2026-11-02
Show 8 moreShow less
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2015-3238 6.5

The _unix_run_helper_binary function in the pam_unix module in Linux-PAM (aka pam) before 1.2.1, when unable to directly access passwords, allows local users to enumerate usernames or cause a denial of service (hang) via a large password.

Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2015-3238
CVSS 3.0
6.5 MediumCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:L
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVMGASA-2015-0266 No score

Updated pam package fixes security vulnerability

If SELinux is enabled, the _unix_run_helper_binary function in Linux-PAM 1.1.8 and earlier hangs indefinitely when verifying a password of 65536 characters, which allows attackers to conduct username enumeration and denial of service attacks (CVE-2015-3238).

Record
MGASA-2015-0266
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVopenSUSE-SU-2024:10405-1 No score

pam-1.3.0-3.4 on GA media

These are all security issues fixed in the pam-1.3.0-3.4 package on the GA media of openSUSE Tumbleweed.

Record
openSUSE-SU-2024:10405-1
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVSUSE-SU-2016:1645-1 No score

Security update for pam

This update for pam fixes two security issues.

These security issues were fixed:

  • CVE-2015-3238: pam_unix in conjunction with SELinux allowed for DoS attacks (bsc#934920).
  • CVE-2013-7041: Compare password hashes case-sensitively (bsc#854480).

This non-security issue was fixed:

  • bsc#962220: Don't fail when /var/log/btmp is corrupted
Record
SUSE-SU-2016:1645-1
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVSUSE-SU-2017:1398-1 No score

Security update for pam

This update for pam fixes the following issues:

  • CVE-2015-3238: pam_unix in conjunction with SELinux allowed for DoS attacks (bsc#934920).
  • log a hint to syslog if /etc/nologin is present, but empty (bsc#1015565).
  • If /etc/nologin is present, but empty, log a hint to syslog. (bsc#1015565)
  • Added support for libowcrypt.so, if present, to configure support for BLOWFISH (bsc#1037824)
Record
SUSE-SU-2017:1398-1
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVSUSE-SU-2017:2699-1 No score

Security update for SLES 12 Docker image

The SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 container image has been updated to include security and stability fixes.

The following issues related to building of the container images have been fixed:

  • Included krb5 package to avoid the inclusion of krb5-mini which gets selected as a dependency by the Build Service solver. (bsc#1056193)
  • Do not install recommended packages when building container images. (bsc#975726)

A number of security issues that have been already fixed by updates released for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 are now included in the base image. A package/CVE cross-reference is available below.

pam:

  • CVE-2015-3238

libtasn1:

  • CVE-2015-3622
  • CVE-2016-4008

libidn:

  • CVE-2015-2059
  • CVE-2015-8948
  • CVE-2016-6261
  • CVE-2016-6262
  • CVE-2016-6263

zlib:

  • CVE-2016-9840
  • CVE-2016-9841
  • CVE-2016-9842
  • CVE-2016-9843

curl:

  • CVE-2016-5419
  • CVE-2016-5420
  • CVE-2016-5421
  • CVE-2016-7141
  • CVE-2016-7167
  • CVE-2016-8615
  • CVE-2016-8616
  • CVE-2016-8617
  • CVE-2016-8618
  • CVE-2016-8619
  • CVE-2016-8620
  • CVE-2016-8621
  • CVE-2016-8622
  • CVE-2016-8623
  • CVE-2016-8624
  • CVE-2016-9586
  • CVE-2017-1000100
  • CVE-2017-1000101
  • CVE-2017-7407

openssl:

  • CVE-2016-2105
  • CVE-2016-2106
  • CVE-2016-2107
  • CVE-2016-2108
  • CVE-2016-2109
  • CVE-2016-2177
  • CVE-2016-2178
  • CVE-2016-2179
  • CVE-2016-2180
  • CVE-2016-2181
  • CVE-2016-2182
  • CVE-2016-2183
  • CVE-2016-6302
  • CVE-2016-6303
  • CVE-2016-6304
  • CVE-2016-6306

libxml2:

  • CVE-2014-0191
  • CVE-2015-8806
  • CVE-2016-1762
  • CVE-2016-1833
  • CVE-2016-1834
  • CVE-2016-1835
  • CVE-2016-1837
  • CVE-2016-1838
  • CVE-2016-1839
  • CVE-2016-1840
  • CVE-2016-2073
  • CVE-2016-3627
  • CVE-2016-3705
  • CVE-2016-4447
  • CVE-2016-4448
  • CVE-2016-4449
  • CVE-2016-4483
  • CVE-2016-4658
  • CVE-2016-9318
  • CVE-2016-9597
  • CVE-2017-9047
  • CVE-2017-9048
  • CVE-2017-9049
  • CVE-2017-9050

util-linux:

  • CVE-2015-5218
  • CVE-2016-5011
  • CVE-2017-2616

cracklib:

  • CVE-2016-6318

systemd:

  • CVE-2014-9770
  • CVE-2015-8842
  • CVE-2016-7796

pcre:

  • CVE-2014-8964
  • CVE-2015-2325
  • CVE-2015-2327
  • CVE-2015-2328
  • CVE-2015-3210
  • CVE-2015-3217
  • CVE-2015-5073
  • CVE-2015-8380
  • CVE-2015-8381
  • CVE-2015-8382
  • CVE-2015-8383
  • CVE-2015-8384
  • CVE-2015-8385
  • CVE-2015-8386
  • CVE-2015-8387
  • CVE-2015-8388
  • CVE-2015-8389
  • CVE-2015-8390
  • CVE-2015-8391
  • CVE-2015-8392
  • CVE-2015-8393
  • CVE-2015-8394
  • CVE-2015-8395
  • CVE-2016-1283
  • CVE-2016-3191

appamor:

  • CVE-2017-6507

bash:

  • CVE-2014-6277
  • CVE-2014-6278
  • CVE-2016-0634
  • CVE-2016-7543

cpio:

  • CVE-2016-2037

glibc:

  • CVE-2016-1234
  • CVE-2016-3075
  • CVE-2016-3706
  • CVE-2016-4429
  • CVE-2017-1000366

perl:

  • CVE-2015-8853
  • CVE-2016-1238
  • CVE-2016-2381
  • CVE-2016-6185

libssh2_org:

  • CVE-2016-0787

expat:

  • CVE-2012-6702
  • CVE-2015-1283
  • CVE-2016-0718
  • CVE-2016-5300
  • CVE-2016-9063
  • CVE-2017-9233

ncurses:

  • CVE-2017-10684
  • CVE-2017-10685
  • CVE-2017-11112
  • CVE-2017-11113

libksba:

  • CVE-2016-4574
  • CVE-2016-4579

libgcrypt:

  • CVE-2015-7511
  • CVE-2016-6313
  • CVE-2017-7526

dbus-1:

  • CVE-2014-7824
  • CVE-2015-0245

Finally, the following packages received non-security fixes:

  • augeas
  • bzip2
  • ca-certificates-mozilla
  • coreutils
  • cryptsetup
  • cyrus-sasl
  • dirmngr
  • e2fsprogs
  • findutils
  • gpg2
  • insserv-compat
  • kmod
  • libcap
  • libsolv
  • libzypp
  • openldap2
  • p11-kit
  • permissions
  • procps
  • rpm
  • sed
  • shadow
  • zypper
Record
SUSE-SU-2017:2699-1
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVSUSE-SU-2017:2700-1 No score

Security update for SLES 12-SP1 Docker image

The SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP1 container image has been updated to include security and stability fixes.

The following issues related to building of the container images have been fixed:

  • Included krb5 package to avoid the inclusion of krb5-mini which gets selected as a dependency by the Build Service solver. (bsc#1056193)
  • Do not install recommended packages when building container images. (bsc#975726)

A number of security issues that have been already fixed by updates released for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP1 are now included in the base image. A package/CVE cross-reference is available below.

pam:

  • CVE-2015-3238

libtasn1:

  • CVE-2015-3622
  • CVE-2016-4008

expat:

expat:

  • CVE-2012-6702
  • CVE-2015-1283
  • CVE-2016-0718
  • CVE-2016-5300
  • CVE-2016-9063
  • CVE-2017-9233

libidn:

  • CVE-2015-2059
  • CVE-2015-8948
  • CVE-2016-6261
  • CVE-2016-6262
  • CVE-2016-6263

zlib:

  • CVE-2016-9840
  • CVE-2016-9841
  • CVE-2016-9842
  • CVE-2016-9843

curl:

  • CVE-2016-5419
  • CVE-2016-5420
  • CVE-2016-5421
  • CVE-2016-7141
  • CVE-2016-7167
  • CVE-2016-8615
  • CVE-2016-8616
  • CVE-2016-8617
  • CVE-2016-8618
  • CVE-2016-8619
  • CVE-2016-8620
  • CVE-2016-8621
  • CVE-2016-8622
  • CVE-2016-8623
  • CVE-2016-8624
  • CVE-2016-9586
  • CVE-2017-1000100
  • CVE-2017-1000101
  • CVE-2017-7407

openssl:

  • CVE-2016-2105
  • CVE-2016-2106
  • CVE-2016-2107
  • CVE-2016-2108
  • CVE-2016-2109
  • CVE-2016-2177
  • CVE-2016-2178
  • CVE-2016-2179
  • CVE-2016-2180
  • CVE-2016-2181
  • CVE-2016-2182
  • CVE-2016-2183
  • CVE-2016-6302
  • CVE-2016-6303
  • CVE-2016-6304
  • CVE-2016-6306
  • CVE-2016-7056
  • CVE-2016-8610
  • CVE-2017-3731

cracklib:

  • CVE-2016-6318

pcre:

  • CVE-2014-8964
  • CVE-2015-2325
  • CVE-2015-2327
  • CVE-2015-2328
  • CVE-2015-3210
  • CVE-2015-3217
  • CVE-2015-5073
  • CVE-2015-8380
  • CVE-2015-8381
  • CVE-2015-8382
  • CVE-2015-8383
  • CVE-2015-8384
  • CVE-2015-8385
  • CVE-2015-8386
  • CVE-2015-8387
  • CVE-2015-8388
  • CVE-2015-8389
  • CVE-2015-8390
  • CVE-2015-8391
  • CVE-2015-8392
  • CVE-2015-8393
  • CVE-2015-8394
  • CVE-2015-8395
  • CVE-2016-1283
  • CVE-2016-3191

appamor:

  • CVE-2017-6507

bash:

  • CVE-2014-6277
  • CVE-2014-6278
  • CVE-2016-0634
  • CVE-2016-7543

cpio:

  • CVE-2016-2037

glibc:

  • CVE-2016-1234
  • CVE-2016-3075
  • CVE-2016-3706
  • CVE-2016-4429
  • CVE-2017-1000366

perl:

  • CVE-2015-8853
  • CVE-2016-1238
  • CVE-2016-2381
  • CVE-2016-6185

libssh2_org:

  • CVE-2016-0787

util-linux:

  • CVE-2016-5011
  • CVE-2017-2616

ncurses:

  • CVE-2017-10684
  • CVE-2017-10685
  • CVE-2017-11112
  • CVE-2017-11113

libksba:

  • CVE-2016-4574
  • CVE-2016-4579

libxml2:

  • CVE-2014-0191
  • CVE-2015-8806
  • CVE-2016-1762
  • CVE-2016-1833
  • CVE-2016-1834
  • CVE-2016-1835
  • CVE-2016-1837
  • CVE-2016-1838
  • CVE-2016-1839
  • CVE-2016-1840
  • CVE-2016-2073
  • CVE-2016-3627
  • CVE-2016-3705
  • CVE-2016-4447
  • CVE-2016-4448
  • CVE-2016-4449
  • CVE-2016-4483
  • CVE-2016-4658
  • CVE-2016-9318
  • CVE-2016-9597
  • CVE-2017-9047
  • CVE-2017-9048
  • CVE-2017-9049
  • CVE-2017-9050

libgcrypt:

  • CVE-2015-7511
  • CVE-2016-6313
  • CVE-2017-7526

update-alternatives:

  • CVE-2015-0860

systemd:

  • CVE-2014-9770
  • CVE-2015-8842
  • CVE-2016-7796

dbus-1:

  • CVE-2014-7824
  • CVE-2015-0245

Finally, the following packages received non-security fixes:

  • augeas
  • bzip2
  • ca-certificates-mozilla
  • coreutils
  • cryptsetup
  • cyrus-sasl
  • dirmngr
  • e2fsprogs
  • findutils
  • gpg2
  • insserv-compat
  • kmod
  • libcap
  • libsolv
  • libzypp
  • lua51
  • lvm2
  • netcfg
  • p11-kit
  • permissions
  • procps
  • rpm
  • sed
  • sg3_utils
  • shadow
  • zypper
Record
SUSE-SU-2017:2700-1
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVUSN-2935-1 No score

pam vulnerabilities

It was discovered that the PAM pam_userdb module incorrectly used a case-insensitive method when comparing hashed passwords. A local attacker could possibly use this issue to make brute force attacks easier. This issue only affected Ubuntu 12.04 LTS and Ubuntu 14.04 LTS. (CVE-2013-7041)

Sebastian Krahmer discovered that the PAM pam_timestamp module incorrectly performed filtering. A local attacker could use this issue to create arbitrary files, or possibly bypass authentication. This issue only affected Ubuntu 12.04 LTS and Ubuntu 14.04 LTS. (CVE-2014-2583)

Sebastien Macke discovered that the PAM pam_unix module incorrectly handled large passwords. A local attacker could possibly use this issue in certain environments to enumerate usernames or cause a denial of service. (CVE-2015-3238)

Record
USN-2935-1
Updated
2026-11-02

Affected products

Affected packages

Affected packages
PackageAffectedFixed
pam
Debian:12
 before 1.1.8-3.2
1.1.8-3.2
pam
Debian:13
 before 1.1.8-3.2
1.1.8-3.2
pam
Debian:14
 before 1.1.8-3.2
1.1.8-3.2
pam
Mageia:4
 before 1.1.8-7.2.mga4
1.1.8-7.2.mga4
pam
Mageia:5
 before 1.1.8-10.1.mga5
1.1.8-10.1.mga5
pam
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client
 before 0:1.1.1-20.el6_7.1
0:1.1.1-20.el6_7.1
pam-debuginfo
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client
 before 0:1.1.1-20.el6_7.1
0:1.1.1-20.el6_7.1
pam-devel
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client
 before 0:1.1.1-20.el6_7.1
0:1.1.1-20.el6_7.1
pam
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::computenode
 before 0:1.1.1-20.el6_7.1
0:1.1.1-20.el6_7.1
pam-debuginfo
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::computenode
 before 0:1.1.1-20.el6_7.1
0:1.1.1-20.el6_7.1
Show 35 moreShow less
Affected packages
PackageAffectedFixed
pam-devel
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::computenode
 before 0:1.1.1-20.el6_7.1
0:1.1.1-20.el6_7.1
pam
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::server
 before 0:1.1.1-20.el6_7.1
0:1.1.1-20.el6_7.1
pam-debuginfo
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::server
 before 0:1.1.1-20.el6_7.1
0:1.1.1-20.el6_7.1
pam-devel
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::server
 before 0:1.1.1-20.el6_7.1
0:1.1.1-20.el6_7.1
pam
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::workstation
 before 0:1.1.1-20.el6_7.1
0:1.1.1-20.el6_7.1
pam-debuginfo
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::workstation
 before 0:1.1.1-20.el6_7.1
0:1.1.1-20.el6_7.1
pam-devel
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::workstation
 before 0:1.1.1-20.el6_7.1
0:1.1.1-20.el6_7.1
pam
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client
 before 0:1.1.8-12.el7_1.1
0:1.1.8-12.el7_1.1
pam-debuginfo
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client
 before 0:1.1.8-12.el7_1.1
0:1.1.8-12.el7_1.1
pam-devel
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client
 before 0:1.1.8-12.el7_1.1
0:1.1.8-12.el7_1.1
pam
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode
 before 0:1.1.8-12.el7_1.1
0:1.1.8-12.el7_1.1
pam-debuginfo
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode
 before 0:1.1.8-12.el7_1.1
0:1.1.8-12.el7_1.1
pam-devel
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode
 before 0:1.1.8-12.el7_1.1
0:1.1.8-12.el7_1.1
pam
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server
 before 0:1.1.8-12.ael7b_1.1
0:1.1.8-12.ael7b_1.1
pam-debuginfo
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server
 before 0:1.1.8-12.ael7b_1.1
0:1.1.8-12.ael7b_1.1
pam-devel
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server
 before 0:1.1.8-12.ael7b_1.1
0:1.1.8-12.ael7b_1.1
pam
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation
 before 0:1.1.8-12.el7_1.1
0:1.1.8-12.el7_1.1
pam-debuginfo
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation
 before 0:1.1.8-12.el7_1.1
0:1.1.8-12.el7_1.1
pam-devel
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation
 before 0:1.1.8-12.el7_1.1
0:1.1.8-12.el7_1.1
pam
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 11 SP4
From an advisory covering 2 CVEs
 before 1.1.5-0.17.2
1.1.5-0.17.2
pam
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4
From an advisory covering 2 CVEs
 before 1.1.5-0.17.2
1.1.5-0.17.2
pam
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 11 SP4
From an advisory covering 2 CVEs
 before 1.1.5-0.17.2
1.1.5-0.17.2
pam
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 SP1
 before 1.1.8-23.1
1.1.8-23.1
pam
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 SP2
 before 1.1.8-23.1
1.1.8-23.1
pam
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for Raspberry Pi 12 SP2
 before 1.1.8-23.1
1.1.8-23.1
pam
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 12 SP1
 before 1.1.8-23.1
1.1.8-23.1
pam
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 12 SP2
 before 1.1.8-23.1
1.1.8-23.1
pam
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP1
 before 1.1.8-23.1
1.1.8-23.1
pam
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP1
 before 1.1.8-23.1
1.1.8-23.1
pam
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP2
 before 1.1.8-23.1
1.1.8-23.1
pam
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP2
 before 1.1.8-23.1
1.1.8-23.1
pam
Ubuntu:14.04:LTS
 before 1.1.8-1ubuntu2.1, plus listed versions
1.1.3-8ubuntu31.1.3-10ubuntu11.1.3-11ubuntu11.1.8-1ubuntu11.1.8-1ubuntu2
1.1.8-1ubuntu2.1
pam
Ubuntu:16.04:LTS
 before 1.1.8-3.2ubuntu2, plus listed versions
1.1.8-3.1ubuntu3
1.1.8-3.2ubuntu2
pam
Ubuntu:14.04:LTS
From an advisory covering 3 CVEs
 before 1.1.8-1ubuntu2.1, plus listed versions
1.1.3-8ubuntu31.1.3-10ubuntu11.1.3-11ubuntu11.1.8-1ubuntu11.1.8-1ubuntu2
1.1.8-1ubuntu2.1
pam
openSUSE:Tumbleweed
From an advisory covering 7 CVEs
 before 1.3.0-3.4
1.3.0-3.4

History

History
RecordedChangedSources
affected, facts
aliasesEUVD
first indexedCVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV

Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.

In short

CVE-2015-3238 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 6.5) in Linux-pam, published July 5, 2015. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 2.71%, the 86th percentile. Fixed in pam 1.1.8-3.2.

References

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