How severe is CVE-2022-28321?

CVE-2022-28321 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2022-28321 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (65th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2022-28321?

CVE-2022-28321 affects Linux-pam. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2022-28321?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2022-28321 published?

CVE-2022-28321 was published on 2022-09-19 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2022-28321

CVE-2022-28321 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Linux-pam with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-287.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (65th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-287
Affected product: Linux-pam
Published: 2022-09-19
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

The Linux-PAM package before 1.5.2-6.1 for openSUSE Tumbleweed allows authentication bypass for SSH logins. The pam_access.so module doesn't correctly restrict login if a user tries to connect from an IP address that is not resolvable via DNS. In such conditions, a user with denied access to a machine can still get access. NOTE: the relevance of this issue is largely limited to openSUSE Tumbleweed and openSUSE Factory; it does not affect Linux-PAM upstream.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2022-28321?: The Linux-PAM package before 1.5.2-6.1 for openSUSE Tumbleweed allows authentication bypass for SSH logins. The pam_access.so module doesn't correctly restrict login if a user tries to connect from an IP address that is not resolvable via DNS. In such conditions, a user with denied access to a machine can still get access. NOTE: the relevance of this issue is largely limited to openSUSE Tumbleweed and openSUSE Factory; it does not affect Linux-PAM upstream.
How severe is CVE-2022-28321?: CVE-2022-28321 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2022-28321 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (65th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2022-28321?: CVE-2022-28321 affects Linux-pam. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2022-28321?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2022-28321 published?: CVE-2022-28321 was published on 2022-09-19 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:linux-pam:linux-pam:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Linux-pam

CVE-2020-27780 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): A flaw was found in Linux-Pam in versions prior to 1.5.1 in the way it handle empty passwords for non-existing users.…
CVE-2010-4708 — High (CVSS 7.2): The pam_env module in Linux-PAM (aka pam) 1.1.2 and earlier reads the .pam_environment file in a user's home directory,…
CVE-2010-3853 — Medium (CVSS 6.9): pam_namespace.c in the pam_namespace module in Linux-PAM (aka pam) before 1.1.3 uses the environment of the invoking…
CVE-2009-0887 — Medium (CVSS 6.6): Integer signedness error in the _pam_StrTok function in libpam/pam_misc.c in Linux-PAM (aka pam) 1.0.3 and earlier,…
CVE-2015-3238 — Medium (CVSS 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…
CVE-2014-2583 — Medium (CVSS 5.8): Multiple directory traversal vulnerabilities in pam_timestamp.c in the pam_timestamp module for Linux-PAM (aka pam)…

All CVEs affecting Linux-pam →

Other CWE-287 (Improper Authentication) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-45480 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Improper authentication in Azure Active Directory allows an unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges over a network.
CVE-2026-46389 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): UDS Identity Config builds the Keycloak configuration image (realm, plugins, theme, truststore, JARs) consumed by UDS…
CVE-2026-10611 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): An authentication bypass vulnerability exists in MISP when LDAP mixed authentication is enabled with OTP enforcement.…
CVE-2026-47280 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Improper authentication in Azure Resource Manager (ARM) allows an unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges over a…
CVE-2026-42822 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Improper authentication in Azure Local Disconnected Operations allows an unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges…
CVE-2026-20182 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): May 2026: This security advisory provides the details and fix information for a vulnerability that was discovered and…

Browse all CWE-287 (Improper Authentication) vulnerabilities →