Medium [CVE-2026-11790] 389-ds-base: 389-ds-base: pbkdf2 password storage plugin unbounded iteration count denial of service
This medium-severity Red Hat Linux advisory covers CVE-2026-11790 affecting Red Hat Directory Server 11, Red Hat Directory Server 12, Red Hat Directory Server 13.
Aggregated and source-linked by VulniPulse. Data sources, validation and limitations.
VulniPulse record published
Summary
A flaw was found in 389 Directory Server. The PBKDF2-SHA256 password storage plugin does not enforce an upper bound on the iteration count extracted from stored password hashes.
A privileged attacker who can modify a user's password hash can cause excessive CPU consumption during authentication, resulting in denial of service. Red Hat rates this issue as Moderate impact.
An attacker with Directory Manager access can plant a hash with extreme iterations; subsequent BIND operations hang worker threads for hours, enabling persistent denial of service. The poisoned hash persists in the database and re-triggers on every bind, so recovery requires Directory Manager access to replace the hash.
This is distinct from CVE-2024-5953, which added hash length checks but not an iteration cap. Red Hat severity: Moderate — CVSS 4.9 (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).
Weakness: CWE-400. Affected Red Hat products: Red Hat Directory Server 11; Red Hat Directory Server 12; Red Hat Directory Server 13; Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10; Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7; Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8; Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.
Red Hat lists Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 as not affected. Red Hat does not currently list a fixing RHSA for this CVE.
Affected products named by the advisory: Red Hat package: 389-ds-base.
Is CVE-2026-11790 exploited?
No exploitation is reported in the sources VulniPulse tracks: CVE-2026-11790 is not in the CISA KEV catalog (checked ) and this advisory does not report exploitation. That is not proof the vulnerability cannot be exploited.
How do I fix CVE-2026-11790?
The advisory VulniPulse tracks names no fixed release. Follow Red Hat's guidance for workarounds and updates.
Confirm against the vendor advisory before you patch.
Affected versions
No affected-version range was extracted from the source record. The vendor advisory is authoritative. Check it before change work.
Official advisory · high-confidence parse· fetched 4 days ago·verify at source
Fixed versions
No fixed release is recorded yet. That does not prove no patch exists. Confirm against the vendor advisory.
Official advisory · high-confidence parse· fetched 4 days ago·verify at source
Mitigation checklist
- Disable nsslapd-allow-hashed-passwords (default: off) to prevent non-DM users from setting pre-hashed passwords. Restrict Directory Manager credentials; limit DM access to management networks and audit DM operations via nsslapd-auditlog. Monitor for suspicious userPassword modifications (unusual hash schemes or large base64 payloads). Monitor for unusually long bind operations to the same account, which may indicate a poisoned PBKDF2 hash.
Official advisory · high-confidence parse· fetched 4 days ago·verify at source
Get an email when Red Hat RHEL & SELinux publishes the next one.
See Red Hat RHEL & SELinux's last 90 days of advisories first. Then choose one product with live alerts free for life, or a free month of real-time alerts on everything with the severity, the fixed version and the vendor's link (card needed, then US$15/month; we email you before the first charge).
More Red Hat Linux advisories
- CVE-2026-111497Oct 22, 2026Out-of-Bounds Write in Google Brotli Decoder
- CVE-2026-109619Oct 21, 2026fatal error handling retains stale request state leading to use-after-free
- CVE-2026-109618Oct 21, 2026OOM bailout during request parsing leads to memory corruption and RCE
- CVE-2026-119977Oct 31, 2026Arbitrary code execution via predictable upgrade staging paths
- CVE-2026-97229Oct 13, 2026integer overflow issue in CI/CD regular expression compiler
- CVE-2026-64849Aug 17, 2026Unauthenticated full-read SSRF in webhook delivery: _validate_webhook_url bypassed
iPhone and Android apps · New on the App Store
Monitor future Red Hat Linux CVEs from your phone.
Choose a whole vendor or a precise platform, then receive matching security advisories by phone notification, email, or both. Coverage follows 34 official vendor sources and 160+ reviewed platform categories.
Discussion(0)
No comments yet. Share field notes, upgrade gotchas, or questions — verify against the vendor advisory before acting on community advice.
Sign in to join the discussion.