Authentication stalls via responder socket retry loop
Published Oct 6, 2026 · Updated Oct 6, 2026
Denial of service in the SSSD responder on Red Hat Enterprise Linux and OpenShift Container Platform allows local users to stall authentication. The responder retries queued socket connections without throttling after sustained client connections exhaust its file descriptors, driving high CPU use. Exploitation requires local access to a responder socket; the stalled service stops processing legitimate identity and authentication requests.
Summary
What happened
Denial of service in the SSSD responder on Red Hat Enterprise Linux and OpenShift Container Platform allows local users to stall authentication. The responder retries queued socket connections without throttling after sustained client connections exhaust its file descriptors, driving high CPU use. Exploitation requires local access to a responder socket; the stalled service stops processing legitimate identity and authentication requests.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-88252
- Published
- Oct 6, 2026
- Updated
- Oct 6, 2026
- Vendor
- libuser Project
- Product
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform
- Classifications
- T1499.001
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Oct 6, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Oct 6, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Affected versions are unavailable in this record. Check the vendor advisory for version and patch details.
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
No CVSS assessment is available in this record.
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Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Activity data is delayed. The latest report is Sep 28, 2026.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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