389 DS Stale Identity Exploit via SASL PLAIN Auth
CVE-2026-18922 Published on September 7, 2026

389-ds-base: 389-ds-base: sasl plain authentication allows privilege escalation to directory manager via stale identity in cyrus sasl auxiliary property
A flaw was found in 389 Directory Server. During SASL PLAIN authentication, a stale identity carried in a Cyrus SASL auxiliary property from a prior failed bind attempt can be installed on a connection following a subsequent, unrelated successful bind, regardless of which SASL mechanism completes that second bind. An attacker can send a SASL PLAIN bind as cn=Directory Manager with an incorrect password, then complete a SASL ANONYMOUS bind on the same connection, causing the server to grant Directory Manager authority without any valid credentials. A variant using a valid low-privileged account's own successful bind instead of an anonymous one is also possible.

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Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2026-18922 is exploitable with network access, and does not require authorization privileges or user interaction. This vulnerability is considered to have a low attack complexity. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to be critical as this vulnerability has a high impact to the confidentiality, integrity and availability of this component.

Attack Vector:
NETWORK
Attack Complexity:
LOW
Privileges Required:
NONE
User Interaction:
NONE
Scope:
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality Impact:
HIGH
Integrity Impact:
HIGH
Availability Impact:
HIGH

Timeline

Reported to Red Hat.

Made public. 39 days later.

Weakness Type

What is an authentification Vulnerability?

When an actor claims to have a given identity, the software does not prove or insufficiently proves that the claim is correct.

CVE-2026-18922 has been classified to as an authentification vulnerability or weakness.


Products Associated with CVE-2026-18922

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Red Hat Directory Server
 
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
 
Red Hat Rhel Els
 
Red Hat Directory Server E4s
 
Red Hat Rhel Aus
 
Red Hat Rhel Eus Long Life
 
Red Hat Rhel E4s
 
Red Hat Rhel Tus
 
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Eus
 
Red Hat Rhel Eus
 

Affected Versions

Red Hat Directory Server 11.7 E4S for RHEL 8: Red Hat Directory Server 11.9 for RHEL 8: Red Hat Directory Server 12.2 E4S for RHEL 9: Red Hat Directory Server 12.4 E4S for RHEL 9: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10.0 Extended Update Support: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Extended Lifecycle Support - EXTENSION: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Extended Lifecycle Support: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Advanced Mission Critical Update Support: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Extended Update Support Long-Life Add-On: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 Advanced Mission Critical Update Support: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 Extended Update Support Long-Life Add-On: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.8 Telecommunications Update Service: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.8 Update Services for SAP Solutions: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.2 Update Services for SAP Solutions: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.4 Update Services for SAP Solutions: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.6 Extended Update Support: Red Hat Directory Server 12: Red Hat Directory Server 13:

Exploit Probability

EPSS
0.56%
Percentile
44.39%

EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) scores estimate the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. The percentile shows you how this score compares to all other vulnerabilities.