Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain valid credentials for expired account
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DeliveryAuthenticate to SSSD-backed host over network
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ExploitSSSD misreads zero expiration as non-expired
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ExecutionAccess controls bypassed
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ImpactUnauthorized persistent access retained
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Off-by-one prevention
|
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires SSSD to be configured to enforce account expiration using LDAP shadow attributes (e.g., shadowExpire), and the expiration value for the target account must be stored as zero rather than a conventional date - this specific, non-default configuration is the core precondition. The attacker must also hold valid credentials (username and password) for the already-expired target account; this is a privileged/authenticated flaw (CVSS PR:L), not anonymous access. Deployments that enforce expiration through other providers (e.g., native LDAP non-shadow controls, Kerberos/FreeIPA policy, or local files) or that do not use the zero-value pattern are not affected, which meaningfully limits real-world exposure. |
| Impact | This is a moderate-severity logic flaw (CWE-193, boundary/off-by-one style error) in SSSD's handling of LDAP shadow account-expiration attributes, where an expiration value of zero is not interpreted as expired. The provided CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N = 5.4) indicates a network-reachable attack of low complexity that nonetheless requires low privileges - specifically, the attacker must already possess valid credentials for a specific account, which the description confirms. This is not a mass-exploitable unauthenticated RCE; it is an access-control-persistence bug whose impact is that a deliberately deactivated account remains usable. No EPSS score, no CISA KEV listing, and no public POC were provided, so there is no signal of active or probable widespread exploitation - consistent with a flaw that benefits an insider or someone holding stale-but-valid credentials rather than an external mass attacker. No SSVC decision data was supplied. Overall this is a real but lower-tier hygiene/priority issue: patch in normal cycles, prioritize where SSSD enforces LDAP shadow-based expiration for sensitive or offboarded accounts. The one notable nuance: CVSS lists AV:N, but exploitation value is constrained by the attacker needing legitimate credentials for the targeted expired account - the network vector reflects the authentication path, not anonymous remote access. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An employee is offboarded and their account is set to expire via an LDAP shadow attribute, but the expiration is stored as zero. Because SSSD does not treat zero as expired, the former employee (or anyone still holding that account's valid credentials) authenticates normally over the network to an SSSD-backed RHEL system and retains access that was supposed to be revoked. No public exploit code was identified; exploitation requires only the valid credentials of the affected expired account. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 06, 2026
Authentication bypass in SSSD permits a user with valid credentials for an already-expired account to authenticate to the system when SSSD is configured to enforce account expiration using LDAP shadow attributes and the expiration value is stored as zero. This moderate-severity logic flaw (CVSS 5.4, CWE-193) affects Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, as well as Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4; exploitation requires the non-default shadowExpire=0 configuration and valid credentials for the expired account. No public exploit code or active exploitation has been identified at time of analysis.
RemediationAI
No vendor-released patch is identified in the provided data; monitor Red Hat advisories for updates. As a workaround, avoid using a zero value for shadowExpire to indicate expiration; instead, use a conventional expiration date or enforce account expiration through alternative mechanisms such as Kerberos/FreeIPA policy, native LDAP controls, or local files. Note that switching providers may require reconfiguration and could affect other authentication features. Additionally, promptly disable or remove expired accounts and limit the use of shadow attributes if not essential. Refer to the Red Hat CVE page and Bugzilla for further guidance.
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Technical ContextAI · show details
SSSD (System Security Services Daemon) provides access to remote identity and authentication providers. When configured to enforce account expiration using LDAP shadow attributes, SSSD reads the shadowExpire attribute. A value of zero conventionally indicates that the account has expired or is disabled, but SSSD fails to treat it as expired, allowing authentication to proceed. This is a boundary condition error (CWE-193) in the expiration check logic. The affected products, as identified by CPE strings, include Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 (cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_enterprise_linux_*) and Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 (cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_openshift_container_platform_4). The flaw requires a specific, non-default configuration where expiration is enforced via LDAP shadow attributes and the account's expiration value is zero; deployments using other expiration mechanisms (e.g., Kerberos/FreeIPA policy or local files) are not affected.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
Attacker needs valid credentials of the expired account (PR:L) over the network auth path (AV:N, AC:L); impact is unauthorized retained access yielding limited C/I, no availability effect.
Primary rating from Vendor (redhat).
CVSS VectorVendor: redhat
DescriptionCVE.org
A flaw was found in SSSD. When configured to enforce account expiration using LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) shadow attributes, SSSD fails to treat an expiration value of zero as an expired account. A user with valid credentials for an expired account can exploit this flaw to bypass access controls and authenticate to the system. This allows unauthorized access to persist after the account was intended to be deactivated.
Threat Intelligence Overview
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.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.
Affected Products (CPE)CVE.org
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EUVD-2026-92890
GHSA-v9m6-j2qm-86p2
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB