CVE-2011-4120
9.8 · CRITICALOverview
CVE-2011-4120 is a critical-severity vulnerability affecting yubico pam_module. It was published on November 26, 2019 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL).
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8, rated CRITICAL. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.
Technical Description
Yubico PAM Module before 2.10 performed user authentication when 'use_first_pass' PAM configuration option was not used and the module was configured as 'sufficient' in the PAM configuration. A remote attacker could use this flaw to circumvent common authentication process and obtain access to the account in question by providing a NULL value (pressing Ctrl-D keyboard sequence) as the password string.
Remediation
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from yubico. Update pam_module to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| yubico | pam_module | >= 0, < 2.10 | Affected |
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2011-4120?
CVE-2011-4120 is a critical-severity vulnerability affecting yubico pam_module. It was published on November 26, 2019 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL).
How severe is CVE-2011-4120?
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8, rated CRITICAL. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.
How do I fix or remediate CVE-2011-4120?
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from yubico. Update pam_module to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2011-4120?
CyberStrike's AI-powered security agents can automatically detect CVE-2011-4120 across your infrastructure using autonomous pentesting, DAST scanning, and HackBrowser. The platform continuously monitors for known vulnerabilities and provides actionable remediation guidance prioritized by real-world exploitability.
How CyberStrike Helps
AI agents map your attack surface to find vulnerabilities like this one.
Automated penetration testing that runs continuously, not just quarterly.
AI-driven PR review catches vulnerable dependencies before they ship.
Browser-based exploitation validates findings with real proof-of-concept.
Related CRITICAL CVEs from 2011
View all →DNSAPI.dll in the DNS client in Microsoft Windows XP SP2 and SP3, Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows V
The NSPLookupServiceNext function in the client in Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway (TM
Unspecified vulnerability in the Java Runtime Environment component in Oracle Java SE JDK and JRE 7
Integer overflow in the TCP/IP implementation in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP
Unspecified vulnerability in the U3D component in Adobe Reader and Acrobat 10.1.1 and earlier on Win