Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This CVE affects SUSE’s patched PAM access-control logic. On affected systems, network netmask-based pam_access rules may fail open, meaning intended login or service restrictions might not be enforced. The business risk is unauthorized access where organizations rely on those rules for access control.
Executive priority
Treat as high priority where SUSE systems use PAM rules to limit who can access services by network. It is less urgent for environments that do not use pam_access netmask restrictions, but inventory is needed to confirm exposure.
Technical view
CVE-2018-17953 is a SUSE-specific PAM 1.3.0 pam_access rule-matching flaw in openSUSE Leap 15.0 and SUSE Linux Enterprise 15. An incorrect variable can break netmask matching and cause rules not to apply, classified as CWE-284 with CVSS 3.0 score 7.5.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on openSUSE Leap 15.0 or SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 systems running PAM 1.3.0 and using pam_access netmask rules to restrict authentication or service access.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or cited evidence of active exploitation. The impact is a fail-open authorization bypass when affected pam_access netmask rules should deny access but are not applied.
Researcher notes
The provided evidence identifies a SUSE-specific patch issue, not a general upstream PAM flaw across all products. Public details in the bundle are limited; avoid broad product claims and validate against SUSE’s bug record and package metadata.
Mitigation direction
- Check SUSE Bugzilla 1115640 and vendor guidance for remediation details.
- Identify affected SUSE and openSUSE hosts running PAM 1.3.0.
- Prioritize systems where pam_access enforces network-based access restrictions.
- Do not rely solely on affected netmask-based pam_access rules until remediated.
- Use compensating access controls where vendor guidance is pending.
Validation and detection
- Inventory openSUSE Leap 15.0 and SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 systems.
- Confirm installed PAM package version and vendor patch status.
- Review PAM configuration for pam_access module usage.
- Inspect access rules for netmask-based restrictions.
- Verify vendor remediation or approved compensating controls are applied.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
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ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-284: Authorization and privilege behavior lookup
Authorization weaknesses can support privilege escalation and valid-account review, depending on exploit path. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2018-17953 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 7.5 (3.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N3.93.6Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.0 score
7.5HighVector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://bugzilla.suse.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1115640CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Improper Access Control
Improper Access Control represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.