CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2023-40660 — A flaw was found in OpenSC packages that allow a potential PIN bypass

Medium CVSS 6.6

A flaw was found in OpenSC packages that allow a potential PIN bypass. When a token/card is authenticated by one process, it can perform cryptographic operations in other processes when an empty zero-length pin is passed. This issue poses a security risk, particularly for OS logon/screen unlock and for small, permanently connected tokens to computers. Additionally, the token can internally track login status. This flaw allows an attacker to gain unauthorized access, carry out malicious actions, or compromise the system without the user's awareness.

Severity
Medium
CVSS
6.6 (3.1)
Published
2023-11-06
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
software/application
Weaknesses
CWE-287

Affected products

  • opensc_project / opensc
  • redhat / enterprise_linux / 8.0
  • redhat / enterprise_linux / 9.0

Matched remediation archetype

Authentication bypass and missing authentication

This catalog composition supplies bounded fallback guidance. Explicitly reviewed curated workflows load with the complete record below.

Check exposure

  • Map every affected endpoint and protocol path, including alternate ports, legacy routes, recovery flows, service accounts, and machine-to-machine access.
  • Confirm which deployments enable the affected authentication mode and whether the interface is reachable from untrusted networks.
  • Review session, token, credential, and proxy trust configuration without attempting account takeover.

Remediate safely

  • Apply the supported fix and centralize fail-closed authentication before protected request handling.
  • Remove default or embedded credentials, rotate affected secrets and sessions, and bind authentication decisions to the intended audience and channel.
  • Add negative tests for alternate routes, malformed or absent credentials, recovery flows, and proxy-derived identity.

Authoritative sources

Complete CVE record and remediation plan

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