OpenSSH DH-GEX Double Free DoS in FIPS Mode
CVE-2026-55653 Published on June 23, 2026
Openssh: double free in red hat enterprise linux versions of openssh dh-gex client path during fips known-group validation leads to client-side denial of service
A flaw was found in OpenSSH. A malicious SSH server can exploit a double free vulnerability in the Diffie-Hellman Group Exchange (DH-GEX) client path. This occurs during FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standards) mode known-group validation when the client processes attacker-controlled DH-GEX group parameters. Successful exploitation leads to client-side process termination, resulting in a Denial of Service (DoS).
Vulnerability Analysis
CVE-2026-55653 can be exploited with network access, requires user interaction. This vulnerability is considered to have a low attack complexity. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to have no impact on confidentiality and integrity, and a small impact on availability.
Timeline
Reported to Red Hat.
Made public. 57 days later.
Weakness Type
What is a Double-free Vulnerability?
The product calls free() twice on the same memory address, potentially leading to modification of unexpected memory locations. When a program calls free() twice with the same argument, the program's memory management data structures become corrupted. This corruption can cause the program to crash or, in some circumstances, cause two later calls to malloc() to return the same pointer. If malloc() returns the same value twice and the program later gives the attacker control over the data that is written into this doubly-allocated memory, the program becomes vulnerable to a buffer overflow attack.
CVE-2026-55653 has been classified to as a Double-free vulnerability or weakness.
Products Associated with CVE-2026-55653
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