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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Connect to LDAP port 389 or 636
  2. Delivery
    Submit LDAP request with legacy-quoted DN value
  3. Exploit
    Trigger heap allocation without proper closure in DN parser
  4. Execution
    Subsequent call dereferences stale heap pointer
  5. Impact
    Crash server process (DoS) or write to arbitrary memory location

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Insufficient granularity of access control
Exploitation Conditions

The target must be running a vulnerable version of 389-ds-base or Red Hat Directory Server with LDAP port 389 or 636 reachable by the attacker. The triggering condition is submission of an LDAP request containing a DN with a legacy-quoted value - this parsing path is active by default in affected versions with no non-default configuration flag required. No authentication is required per the CVSS PR:N metric, meaning anonymous LDAP access (if enabled) or pre-authentication request handling is sufficient. The primary factor limiting exploitation is network segmentation: if LDAP ports are firewalled to trusted hosts only, unauthenticated remote exploitation is prevented at the network layer. There is no indication in the available data that a specific Directory Server feature must be explicitly enabled beyond the default LDAP service configuration.

Impact

The NVD CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L, score 5.3 Medium) captures the unauthenticated network-accessible nature of the flaw but conservatively records I:N. The description explicitly names arbitrary memory write as a possible outcome alongside DoS, suggesting the integrity metric may be underweighted - a heap write primitive, even a coarse one, can serve as a stepping stone to code execution under favorable heap layout conditions. No EPSS score is available in the provided data, limiting probabilistic exploitation forecasting. This vulnerability is absent from CISA KEV and no public PoC has been identified, which meaningfully reduces near-term exploitation likelihood. Real-world risk is most acute for organizations exposing LDAP on untrusted network segments or permitting anonymous binds, as PR:N means no credential barrier exists. Enterprises that firewall LDAP to trusted hosts and require authenticated binds substantially reduce exposure. Overall, this is a genuine patching priority for internet-facing or anonymously accessible Directory Server instances, but not an emergency for well-segmented internal deployments.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An unauthenticated attacker with network access to the target's LDAP port (389 or 636) constructs an LDAP request containing a DN with a legacy-quoted attribute value and submits it to the Directory Server. The malformed DN triggers the heap allocation failure, and depending on runtime heap layout, the server process crashes (denial of service disrupting LDAP-dependent authentication and directory lookups) or the attacker achieves a write to an attacker-influenced memory region. No public PoC has been identified, but the low-complexity, no-authentication attack path means any network-adjacent host can attempt the trigger without tooling beyond a standard LDAP client.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
No patch listed yet 0.4% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Jul 22, 2026

Heap buffer overflow in Red Hat Directory Server (389-ds-base) exposes LDAP services to remote unauthenticated denial of service or potential arbitrary memory write via malformed DN input. When a Distinguished Name containing a legacy-quoted value is processed, the server fails to close the associated heap allocation, permitting a subsequent operation to reference the same memory pointer - a classic heap confusion primitive. No public exploit has been identified at time of analysis, and this vulnerability is not listed in CISA KEV, though the network-accessible unauthenticated attack surface warrants prompt patching for any externally reachable Directory Server deployment.

RemediationAI

Apply the vendor-supplied updated RPM for 389-ds-base as documented in the Red Hat security advisory at https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-16560. Exact fixed package versions are not confirmed from the data available at time of analysis - the Bugzilla entry at https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2506102 and the advisory errata should be checked for the specific NVR (name-version-release) to target. As a compensating control while patching is arranged, restrict network access to LDAP ports 389 and 636 via host-based firewall (firewalld/iptables) or perimeter controls, permitting only known trusted LDAP clients - this eliminates unauthenticated remote exploitation since the vulnerability is exposed over the LDAP protocol. Trade-off: any application, authentication service, or client relying on LDAP queries from outside the allowlisted range will lose access. Additionally, disabling anonymous LDAP binds (if operationally viable) adds an authentication barrier, though the CVSS PR:N metric indicates authentication may not be a prerequisite for the triggering path. Legacy-quoted DN syntax processing may be configurable in some 389-ds-base versions; consult the upstream documentation to determine if it can be disabled, keeping in mind this may break legacy LDAP clients.

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Technical ContextAI · show details

389-ds-base is the upstream FOSS project underlying Red Hat Directory Server (RHDS) and the LDAP directory service bundled across Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 through 10. The vulnerability resides in the DN (Distinguished Name) parsing subsystem, specifically in handling of legacy-quoted attribute values - a notation style carried forward from older LDAPv2/X.500 syntax still accepted by the server for backward compatibility. The parser allocates heap memory for the quoted DN component but fails to properly deallocate it before returning, leaving the pointer live. A subsequent call can then obtain or dereference the same heap region, producing a double-use heap condition. The assigned CWE is CWE-1220 (Insufficient Granularity of Access Control), which does not map cleanly to the described heap mismanagement behavior; the root cause more accurately resembles CWE-122 (Heap-based Buffer Overflow) or a use-after-free pattern. This discrepancy should be noted when correlating with scanner output. The vulnerability is reachable over standard LDAP ports (389 plaintext, 636 TLS), making it network-accessible to any client permitted to submit LDAP requests.

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Severity by source

Vendor (redhat) PRIMARY 5.3 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
vuln.today AI 6.5 MEDIUM

AV:N and PR:N per LDAP exposure; I:L added because description explicitly cites arbitrary memory write as a possible outcome alongside DoS.

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
SUSE MEDIUM
Red Hat 5.3 MEDIUM

Primary rating from Vendor (redhat).

CVSS VectorVendor: redhat

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
Low

DescriptionCVE.org

A heap-buffer-overflow flaw was found in Directory Server (389-ds-base). When a DN contains a legacy-quoted value, the server won't close the heap allocation allowing another call to refer to the same memory pointer causing a denial of service or an arbitrary memory write operation.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.4%
Top 68% exploitable
Prevalence
Medium
enterprise LDAP directory service, common in RHEL-based environments but not universally deployed
Data Quality
4 sources
Confidence: Medium

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity MEDIUM
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.4%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
Yes
Human Impact· derived
Medium
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

26
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +26
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Denial of Service attacks render applications or systems unavailable by overwhelming resources or triggering failure conditions.

Affected Products (CPE)CVE.org

cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_directory_server_11:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_directory_server_12:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_directory_server_13:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_enterprise_linux_10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_enterprise_linux_6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_enterprise_linux_7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_enterprise_linux_8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_enterprise_linux_9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Vendor StatusVendor

SUSE

Severity: Moderate
Product Status
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Server Applications 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16.1 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP7 Affected

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