CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2026-11610NVD status: Awaiting Analysis

389-ds-base: Heap-based Buffer Overflow

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2026-11610 is a high-severity heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in 389-ds-base from 389ds, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.8 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. Affected 389-ds-base versions: 1.3.2 through 3.3.0. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.49% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Check which version of 389-ds-base you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
389ds389-ds-base1.3.2 through 3.3.0Not stated
Red HatRed Hat Directory Server 11.5 E4S for RHEL 8Not specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Directory Server 11.7 E4S for RHEL 8Not specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Directory Server 11.9 for RHEL 8Not specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Directory Server 12.2 E4S for RHEL 9Not specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Directory Server 12.4 E4S for RHEL 9Not specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 10Not specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 10.0 Extended Update SupportNot specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Extended Lifecycle SupportNot specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 8Not specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Advanced Mission Critical Update SupportNot specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Extended Update Support Long-Life Add-OnNot specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 Advanced Mission Critical Update SupportNot specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 Extended Update Support Long-Life Add-OnNot specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 8.8 Telecommunications Update ServiceNot specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 8.8 Update Services for SAP SolutionsNot specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 9Not specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 9.2 Update Services for SAP SolutionsNot specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 9.4 Update Services for SAP SolutionsNot specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 9.6 Extended Update SupportNot specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Directory Server 13.2Not specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Directory Server 12Not specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Directory Server 13Not specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 6Not specified in the recordNot stated

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
LowA basic user account is enough.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
Integrity
HighData or code can be modified at will.
Availability
HighThe component can be taken down completely.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by CNA (redhat.com).

Official description

A heap buffer overflow flaw was found in the SASL I/O layer of 389 Directory Server (389-ds-base). After a successful SASL bind with integrity protection (SSF > 0), an authenticated attacker can send a specially crafted oversized LDAP UNBIND packet that is copied into a 512-byte heap receive buffer without a bounds check in sasl_io_recv() in sasl_io.c. This allows up to approximately 2 megabytes of attacker-controlled data to overflow the buffer, causing a denial of service (server crash). In FreeIPA and Red Hat Identity Management deployments, any domain user with a valid Kerberos ticket, any enrolled host, or any service account can trigger this vulnerability over the network after authenticating via GSSAPI. The vulnerable code path has existed since approximately 2013 (389-ds-base 1.3.2) and was not addressed by the CVE-2025-14905 fix, which patched a separate heap overflow in schema.c only.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Heap-based Buffer Overflow

The product writes past the end of a buffer that was allocated on the heap.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Pre-design: Use a language or compiler that performs automatic bounds checking.
  • Use an abstraction library to abstract away risky APIs. Not a complete solution.
  • Use automatic buffer overflow detection mechanisms that are offered by certain compilers or compiler extensions. Examples include: the Microsoft Visual Studio /GS flag, Fedora/Red Hat FORTIFY_SOURCE GCC flag, StackGuard, and ProPolice, which provide various mechanisms including canary-based detection and range/index checking. D3-SFCV (Stack Frame Canary Validation) from D3FEND discusses canary-based detection in detail.

More Heap-based Buffer Overflow vulnerabilities (CWE-122)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Recent Heap-based Buffer Overflow vulnerabilities

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