CVE-2026-117548
Description
A NULL pointer dereference flaw was found in 389-ds-base. This flaw occurs when a ModifyDN (rename) operation uses an attribute's schema alias name (such as "commonName") instead of its canonical name (such as "cn") as the new relative distinguished name. An authenticated attacker with the ModifyDN (rename) permission on the affected entry can use this flaw to crash the directory server, causing a denial of service.
Statement
This flaw does not affect 389-ds-base or Red Hat Identity Management (IdM/FreeIPA) in their default configurations. Exploitation requires that an administrator has explicitly configured a non-default access control instruction (ACI) granting the ModifyDN (rename) right to a principal other than a directory administrator.
Mitigation
Administrators should review custom access control instructions (ACIs) and avoid granting the ModifyDN (rename) right to non-administrative principals unless specifically required. Restricting this right reduces exposure to this issue until a fixed package is available. Neither 389-ds-base's own default ACI templates nor Red Hat Identity Management (IdM/FreeIPA)'s default ACIs grant this right to non-administrative users, so deployments that have not customized their ACIs are not exposed.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 6.5 | N/A | 6.5 |
| Attack Vector | Network | N/A | Network |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | Low | N/A | Low |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | None | N/A | None |
| Integrity Impact | None | N/A | None |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Acknowledgements
Red Hat would like to thank Chad Sikorra for reporting this issue.
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