libssh GSSAPIKeyEx Auth Bypass
CVE-2026-59851 Published on July 21, 2026

Libssh: libssh: authentication bypass via missing gssapi principal check
A flaw was found in libssh. On servers with GSSAPIKeyExchange enabled, the gssapi-keyex path does not verify whether the authenticated Kerberos principal is authorized for the requested local user, allowing authenticated clients to log in as arbitrary users.

NVD

Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2026-59851 can be exploited with network access, and requires small amount of user privileges. This vulnerability is considered to have a low attack complexity. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to be very high.

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

Timeline

Reported to Red Hat.

Made public. 83 days later.

Weakness Type

What is an AuthZ Vulnerability?

The software performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action, but it does not correctly perform the check. This allows attackers to bypass intended access restrictions.

CVE-2026-59851 has been classified to as an AuthZ vulnerability or weakness.


Products Associated with CVE-2026-59851

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Affected Versions

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9: Red Hat Hardened Images: