Skip to main content
HIGH

CVE-2025-6018

CVSS v3

7.8

HIGH

EPSS Score

1.1 %

exploit probability, as of 2026-09-25

CISA KEV

No

known exploited

Exploitation

—

SSVC status

Description

A Local Privilege Escalation (LPE) vulnerability has been discovered in pam-config within Linux Pluggable Authentication Modules (PAM). This flaw allows an unprivileged local attacker (for example, a user logged in via SSH) to obtain the elevated privileges normally reserved for a physically present, "allow_active" user. The highest risk is that the attacker can then perform all allow_active yes Polkit actions, which are typically restricted to console users, potentially gaining unauthorized con

Technical details

Published
2025-07-23
Last Modified
2025-11-04
Exploit-DB
EDB-52386

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2025-6018?

A Local Privilege Escalation (LPE) vulnerability has been discovered in pam-config within Linux Pluggable Authentication Modules (PAM). This flaw allows an unprivileged local attacker (for example, a user logged in via SSH) to obtain the elevated privileges normally reserved for a physically present, "allow_active" user. The highest risk is that the attacker can then perform all allow_active yes Polkit actions, which are typically restricted to console users, potentially gaining unauthorized con

Is CVE-2025-6018 actively exploited?

Active exploitation of CVE-2025-6018 has not been confirmed. Its EPSS score was 1.1% on 2026-09-25, the estimated probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2025-6018?

CVE-2025-6018 has a CVSS v3 base score of 7.8 (HIGH severity).

Is CVE-2025-6018 affecting your environment?

Use isMalicious to check if any of your IPs or domains are associated with this vulnerability's IOCs.

Check an IPSearch CVEsSIEM & TIP integrations

No credit card required · 500 free checks/month · Free API key

Other 2025 vulnerabilities worth triaging

Ranked by exploit probability (EPSS).

Back to CVE Database