CVE-2026-11786
Description
A flaw was found in 389 Directory Server. The LDIF parser reads past the end of a heap buffer when processing attribute types with trailing semicolons during database import, causing an out-of-bounds read detectable under memory instrumentation.
Mitigation
Validate LDIF files for malformed attribute types before importing. Reject any LDIF entry containing attribute types with trailing semicolons (e.g., userCertificate;binary;). Pre-import validation: grep -nE '^[a-zA-Z][a-zA-Z0-9-]*;[^:]*;:' input.ldif && echo "REJECT: trailing semicolon in attribute type". This does not protect against the replication changelog path (corrupted stored data), but that path requires pre-existing database corruption, not external input.
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 | 1.9 | 6.5 | 1.9 |
| Attack Vector | Local | Network | Local |
| Attack Complexity | High | Low | High |
| Privileges Required | High | Low | High |
| User Interaction | None | None | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | Unchanged | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | Low | High | Low |
| Integrity Impact | None | None | None |
| Availability Impact | None | None | None |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
NVD: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
Red Hat CVSS v3 Score Explanation
AV:L/PR:H — requires local admin ldif2db import. AC:H — no production crash. C:L theoretical only under ASan.
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Read Memory
An attacker could get secret values such as cryptographic keys, PII, memory addresses, or other information that could be used in additional attacks.
Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Bypass Protection Mechanism
Out-of-bounds memory could contain memory addresses or other information that can be used to bypass ASLR and other protection mechanisms in order to improve the reliability of exploiting a separate weakness for code execution.
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
An attacker could cause a segmentation fault or crash by causing memory to be read outside of the bounds of the buffer. This is especially likely when the code reads a variable amount of data and assumes that a sentinel exists to stop the read operation, such as a NUL in a string.
Other
Technical Impact: Varies by Context
The read operation could produce other undefined or unexpected results.
Acknowledgements
This issue was discovered by Ian Murphy (Red Hat).
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