CVE-2026-116497

Gssproxy: gssproxy: null pointer dereference in gssx_init_sec_context crashes daemon

Published Oct 26, 2026 CVSS 3.1 · 5.5 Medium EPSS < 1% KEV · Not listed
Description
A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability was found in gssproxy. When a GSSX_INIT_SEC_CONTEXT request is received with the target_name field absent, the daemon dereferences the resulting NULL pointer and crashes. The request requires no authentication, allowing any local user to crash the gssproxy daemon via its Unix socket. The daemon does not automatically restart, resulting in a persistent denial of service that also affects dependent services such as Kerberized NFS and IdM.

Remediation

Vendor Workaround

There is no way to fully mitigate this vulnerability without applying a code fix. The gssproxy Unix socket must be world-accessible for normal operation, and the default configuration accepts connections from any local user. As a partial workaround, administrators can add "Restart=on-failure" to the gssproxy systemd unit to enable automatic restarts after a crash. This does not prevent the crash but limits the denial-of-service window. Note that a persistent attacker can still outpace the restart cycle.

Tracking

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Advisories

No advisories available
History
Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Redhat rhel Els
CPEs cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:10
cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:7
cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8
cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:9
cpe:/a:redhat:enterprise_linux:10
cpe:/a:redhat:enterprise_linux:8
cpe:/a:redhat:enterprise_linux:9
cpe:/a:redhat:openshift:5
cpe:/o:redhat:rhel_els:7
Vendors & Products Redhat rhel Els
Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Gssproxy Project
Gssproxy Project gssproxy
Red Hat
Red Hat enterprise Linux
Redhat openshift Container Platform
Vendors & Products Gssproxy Project
Gssproxy Project gssproxy
Red Hat
Red Hat enterprise Linux
Redhat openshift Container Platform
Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'partial'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability was found in gssproxy. When a GSSX_INIT_SEC_CONTEXT request is received with the target_name field absent, the daemon dereferences the resulting NULL pointer and crashes. The request requires no authentication, allowing any local user to crash the gssproxy daemon via its Unix socket. The daemon does not automatically restart, resulting in a persistent denial of service that also affects dependent services such as Kerberized NFS and IdM.
Title Gssproxy: gssproxy: null pointer dereference in gssx_init_sec_context crashes daemon
First Time appeared Redhat
Redhat enterprise Linux
Redhat openshift
Weaknesses CWE-476
CPEs cpe:/a:redhat:openshift:4
cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:10
cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:7
cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8
cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:9
Vendors & Products Redhat
Redhat enterprise Linux
Redhat openshift
References
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 5.5, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'}

Weaknesses

Sources

Status
PUBLISHED
Assigner
redhat
Published
Updated
Nov 5, 2026, 4:24 PM
Reserved
Oct 26, 2026, 12:51 PM
Status
Awaiting Analysis
Published
Oct 26, 2026, 3:16 PM
Modified
Nov 5, 2026, 5:17 PM
Severity
Moderate
Public date
Oct 26, 2026, 12:51 PM