Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain local low-privilege account
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ExploitCraft PAM request with zero-length auth token
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ExecutionSend to SSSD responder socket
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ImpactTrigger out-of-bounds read crashing PAM responder (DoS)
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Bounds checking, read limits
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Collection The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Requires an existing local, low-privilege account on a host where SSSD handles PAM authentication (PR:L, AV:L) and the ability to send a PAM request to the SSSD responder socket; the trigger is specifically a PAM request containing a zero-length authentication token, which the responder fails to length-validate. No non-default configuration is needed beyond SSSD being used for PAM/authentication (its standard role on domain-joined RHEL/OpenShift systems). Limiting factors: the attack is local-only (not remotely reachable), requires prior authenticated access, needs no user interaction, and yields only a responder crash (availability) rather than privilege escalation, code execution, or data disclosure. |
| Impact | This is a moderate-severity local Denial of Service, not a top-priority emergency. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H, base 5.5) is internally consistent with the description: a local, already-authenticated low-privilege user (PR:L) triggers an out-of-bounds read (CWE-125) that crashes the SSSD PAM responder, yielding availability-only impact (A:H; C:N/I:N). No EPSS score, KEV listing, or POC was provided, so there is no public exploit identified at time of analysis and no evidence of active exploitation. The practical ceiling on risk is the local-only attack vector and the DoS-only outcome - an attacker must already have a local account, and the payoff is a crash of the authentication responder rather than code execution or data theft. Note a signal conflict: the input Tags include 'Information Disclosure' and 'Buffer Overflow', but the vendor CVSS sets C:N and the root cause is an out-of-bounds READ causing a crash, not a write/overflow or confirmed data leak - the tags overstate the impact relative to the authoritative CVSS and description. The real-world significance is that a crashed PAM responder can block authentication for legitimate users on a domain-joined host, so on shared multi-user systems this is a meaningful availability concern despite the modest score. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | A local user with a shell on a RHEL/OpenShift host running SSSD connects to the PAM responder socket and sends a crafted PAM request carrying a zero-length authentication token. Because the token length is not validated, the responder reads beyond the buffer and crashes, disrupting PAM-based authentication for other users on that host. No public exploit code is identified at time of analysis, and the local, low-privilege attack vector means the attacker must already have an account on the target. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Oct 06, 2026
A local, low-privilege attacker can crash the SSSD PAM responder on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (versions 6 through 10) and Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 by sending a crafted PAM request that contains a zero-length authentication token. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2026-104042 with a CVSS score of 5.5, stems from missing length validation that leads to an out-of-bounds read and a denial of service; it requires an existing local account and no user interaction. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis, and this is a moderate-severity local DoS rather than a remote or privilege-escalation issue.
RemediationAI
No vendor-released patch has been identified in the provided intelligence at time of analysis. Administrators should monitor Red Hat advisories (https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-104042) and the Bugzilla ticket (https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2478862) for a fixed SSSD package, then update to the patched version as soon as it is released. Until then, compensating controls include limiting local shell access to trusted users, since the attack requires an existing low-privilege account; ensuring SSSD responder sockets are restricted to root and the sssd user only; and monitoring SSSD logs for PAM responder crashes to detect exploitation attempts. Disabling the SSSD PAM responder entirely would break domain authentication on joined systems and is not recommended as a general mitigation. After applying the patch, restart SSSD to ensure the fixed code is loaded.
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Technical ContextAI · show details
SSSD (System Security Services Daemon) provides identity and authentication services on Red Hat Enterprise Linux and OpenShift, with a PAM responder handling Pluggable Authentication Module requests over a local socket. The vulnerability is a classic CWE-125 out-of-bounds read: the responder fails to validate the length of an authentication token, so a zero-length token causes it to read beyond buffer boundaries, crashing the process. Affected CPEs include Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, as well as Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4. The CVSS vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H) confirms the attack is local, requires low privileges, needs no user interaction, and impacts only availability. Although some tags mention 'Buffer Overflow' and 'Information Disclosure', the assessed impact is limited to a denial of service; no code execution or data leakage is confirmed.
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Local socket reachable only by an authenticated local user gives AV:L/PR:L; reliably triggered single malformed token gives AC:L; crash-only impact gives A:H with C:N/I:N.
Primary rating from Vendor (redhat).
CVSS VectorVendor: redhat
DescriptionCVE.org
A flaw was found in sssd. A local attacker can cause a Denial of Service (DoS) by sending a crafted Pluggable Authentication Module (PAM) request containing a zero-length authentication token to the responder socket. Due to missing input validation, the service attempts to read beyond buffer boundaries when processing the token, causing the PAM responder to crash.
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
A buffer overflow occurs when a program writes more data to a memory buffer than it was allocated to hold, causing the excess data to spill into adjacent memory regions.
Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.
Denial of Service attacks render applications or systems unavailable by overwhelming resources or triggering failure conditions.
Affected Products (CPE)CVE.org
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