SSH session takeover via deferred authentication request
Published Nov 14, 2023 · Updated Feb 25, 2026
Authentication bypass in AsyncSSH 2.14.0 and earlier allows remote authenticated users to take over a victim's SSH client session. The server state machine accepts an injected user-authentication request before key exchange completes and defers it until the client starts authentication. The attacker needs a shell account on the server and an on-path position; exploitation exposes keystrokes, terminal output, forwarded ports, and forwarded-agent signing.
Summary
What happened
Authentication bypass in AsyncSSH 2.14.0 and earlier allows remote authenticated users to take over a victim's SSH client session. The server state machine accepts an injected user-authentication request before key exchange completes and defers it until the client starts authentication. The attacker needs a shell account on the server and an on-path position; exploitation exposes keystrokes, terminal output, forwarded ports, and forwarded-agent signing.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-46446
- Published
- Nov 14, 2023
- Updated
- Feb 25, 2026
- Vendor
- Unknown vendor
- Product
- Unknown product
- Classifications
- CWE-639, T1563.001
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Nov 14, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Feb 25, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- Upstream rogue-session proof of conceptproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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