Service interruption via hexadecimal reference regex backtracking
Published Feb 27, 2026 · Updated Feb 27, 2026
Regular expression denial of service in REXML in Red Hat Satellite and Satellite Client allows remote attackers to interrupt XML processing. The CHARACTER_REFERENCES pattern in REXML::Parsers::BaseParser permits ambiguous backtracking over long zero prefixes before hexadecimal character references. Exploitation requires an affected puppet-agent component to parse attacker-controlled XML; excessive CPU consumption can stall that component without disclosing or modifying data.
Summary
What happened
Regular expression denial of service in REXML in Red Hat Satellite and Satellite Client allows remote attackers to interrupt XML processing. The CHARACTER_REFERENCES pattern in REXML::Parsers::BaseParser permits ambiguous backtracking over long zero prefixes before hexadecimal character references. Exploitation requires an affected puppet-agent component to parse attacker-controlled XML; excessive CPU consumption can stall that component without disclosing or modifying data.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-10990
- Published
- Feb 27, 2026
- Updated
- Feb 27, 2026
- Vendor
- 389 Directory Server
- Product
- Red Hat Satellite Client
- Classifications
- CWE-1333, T1499.002
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Feb 27, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Feb 27, 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?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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