CVE-2026-59851
HIGH 8.8A flaw was found in libssh. On servers with GSSAPIKeyExchange enabled, the gssapi-keyex path does not verify whether the authenticated Kerberos principal is authorized for the requested local user, allowing authenticated clients to log in as arbitrary users.
Severe if exploited (CVSS 8.8), but no known exploitation and low modeled probability. Patch on a normal cadence.
Exploitation likelihood
0.3%chance of exploitation in 30 days · 22nd percentile
Impact if exploited
8.8CVSS 3.1 · HIGH
- ConfidentialityHigh
- IntegrityHigh
- AvailabilityHigh
What an attacker needs
- ✓Access: Reachable over the network — no local access needed
- ⚠Privileges: Requires a low-privilege account
- ✓User interaction: No user interaction needed
- ✓Complexity: No special conditions — reliably repeatable
✓ lowers the bar for an attacker · ⚠ raises it
Proof of concept & exploit code
- github-search Search GitHub for public PoC repos
Test against your own equipment
curl -s https://vulnpedia.com/cve/CVE-2026-59851/poc.jsonMachine-readable PoC index for this CVE (for automation).Listed for defensive triage, patch verification, and authorized testing on systems you own. Machine-readable: /cve/CVE-2026-59851/poc.json
Affected
Products Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 Red Hat Hardened Images Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 Libssh Hardened Images Enterprise Linux
Weakness (CWE)
- CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Known Affected Software Configurations
| Vendor | Product | Version range |
|---|---|---|
| Libssh | Libssh | * |
| Redhat | Hardened Images | * |
| Redhat | Enterprise Linux | 10.0 |
All CVSS metrics
- HIGH 8.8 v3.1 · CNA Primary
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - HIGH 8.8 v3.1 · NVD Secondary
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H