CVE-2011-3149: The _expand_arg function in the pam_env module (modules/pam_env/pam_env.c) in Linux-PAM (aka pam) before 1....

Security readout for executives and security teams

CVE-2011-3149 is a local denial-of-service issue in Linux-PAM’s pam_env module. A local user could trigger excessive CPU consumption through faulty environment variable expansion. Business impact is mainly availability risk on systems that allow local user access and run vulnerable Linux-PAM versions. Exposure is most likely on Linux systems using pam_env from Linux-PAM before 1.1.5, especially multi-user servers or systems where untrusted local users can authenticate. The bundle’s affected table is incomplete and lists vendor/product as n/a. Prioritize patching on shared Linux servers, bastion hosts, and systems with many local users. This is not evidenced as internet-exploitable or actively exploited, but availability impact in multi-user environments makes it unsuitable to ignore. Mitigation focus: Identify systems running Linux-PAM or distribution pam packages before 1.1.5.; Apply vendor-supported updates from Ubuntu, Gentoo, or the relevant Linux distribution.; For unsupported systems, check vendor guidance for fixed pam_env packages or backports..

Prepared

Jun 24, 2026, 12:34 UTC (UTC+00:00)

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