CVE-2000-0378: The pam_console PAM module in Linux systems performs a chown on various devices upon a user login, but an o...

Security readout for executives and security teams

A very old Linux login helper called pam_console changed ownership of local devices (like the console or sound card) to whoever logged in, but did not close file handles when they logged out. That meant a prior user could keep listening to those devices while the next person used the machine. It only matters for shared physical Linux desktops from that era. Limited to legacy Linux systems from around 2000 that shipped pam_console and were used as shared, physically accessed multi-user consoles. Modern distributions have replaced this ownership model (systemd-logind, ConsoleKit) and no affected products or versions are enumerated in the CVE record. Very low priority for modern environments. Only relevant if the business still operates legacy Linux consoles with pam_console. Treat as hygiene during legacy system decommissioning rather than an urgent action. Mitigation focus: Confirm whether pam_console is present on any legacy Linux hosts still in service.; Migrate remaining legacy consoles to modern session managers such as systemd-logind.; Restrict local and console access on shared multi-user Linux systems..

Prepared

Jul 12, 2026, 01:09 UTC (UTC+00:00)

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.