CVE-2026-123158
Description
A flaw was found in OpenSSH. When running on Linux systems utilizing the musl standard C library without Pluggable Authentication Modules (PAM), the SSH server can misinterpret input strings as password hashes. A remote, unauthenticated attacker can exploit this flaw by submitting a specially sized password, bypassing password authentication and gaining unauthorized access to affected accounts.
Statement
Red Hat products are not affected by this vulnerability. This issue specifically requires OpenSSH to be compiled and executed against the musl C library (musl libc) without PAM enabled. Red Hat Enterprise Linux and all Red Hat product builds link OpenSSH against the GNU C Library (glibc) and use PAM by default.
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 | 8.1 | N/A | 8.1 |
| Attack Vector | Network | N/A | Network |
| Attack Complexity | High | N/A | High |
| Privileges Required | None | N/A | None |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | High | N/A | High |
| Integrity Impact | High | N/A | High |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Access Control
Technical Impact: Bypass Protection Mechanism
An incorrect implementation may allow authentication to be bypassed.
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