CVE-2026-11884
Description
A heap buffer overflow flaw was found in 389 Directory Server. When serializing objectclass definitions, the oc_superior (SUP) field length is omitted from buffer size calculations in read_schema_dse() and schema_oc_to_string(), but the field is still written via strcat(). An attacker with Directory Manager privileges, or a compromised replication supplier, can trigger a server crash by creating objectclasses with long SUP values. This is an incomplete fix variant of CVE-2025-14905.
Statement
Red Hat rates this issue as Moderate impact. When serializing objectclass definitions in 389-ds-base, the oc_superior (SUP) field length is omitted from buffer size calculations in read_schema_dse() and schema_oc_to_string(), but the field is still written—an incomplete fix variant of CVE-2025-14905. Directory Manager can crash the server with long SUP values; a compromised replication supplier may push malicious schema to consumers.
Mitigation
Restrict Directory Manager access. Audit replication agreements. Monitor cn=schema modifications for unusually long SUP values. Restrict LDAP replication traffic to trusted networks.
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 | High | N/A | High |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | None | N/A | None |
| Integrity Impact | High | N/A | High |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
Red Hat CVSS v3 Score Explanation
C:N removed vs CVE-2025-14905 (7.2) because overflow content is restricted to ASCII printable characters; no read primitive and no valid x86_64 pointer construction.
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart; DoS: Resource Consumption (CPU); DoS: Resource Consumption (Memory)
Buffer overflows generally lead to crashes. Other attacks leading to lack of availability are possible, including putting the program into an infinite loop.
Integrity,Confidentiality,Availability,Access Control
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands; Bypass Protection Mechanism; Modify Memory
Buffer overflows often can be used to execute arbitrary code, which is usually outside the scope of a program's implicit security policy. Besides important user data, heap-based overflows can be used to overwrite function pointers that may be living in memory, pointing it to the attacker's code. Even in applications that do not explicitly use function pointers, the run-time will usually leave many in memory. For example, object methods in C++ are generally implemented using function pointers. Even in C programs, there is often a global offset table used by the underlying runtime.
Integrity,Confidentiality,Availability,Access Control,Other
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands; Bypass Protection Mechanism; Other
When the consequence is arbitrary code execution, this can often be used to subvert any other security service.
Acknowledgements
This issue was discovered by Ian Murphy (Red Hat).
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