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CVE-2026-14940

MEDIUM 5.3

Published 2026-07-07 · Last modified 2026-07-07

A heap-buffer-overflow flaw was found in 389 Directory Server (389-ds-base). When normalizing a Distinguished Name (DN) that contains a legacy-quoted value encoding a multivalued nested Relative Distinguished Name (RDN), the server can write past the end of a heap allocation while sorting RDN attribute-value pairs. An unauthenticated remote attacker can trigger this condition by sending an LDAP operation whose DN reaches the DN normalization routine, such as a search with a crafted base DN. This can corrupt heap memory and may cause denial of service.

NO EXPLOITATION SIGNALS

No known exploitation, public exploit, or elevated probability at this time. Track for changes.

Exploitation likelihood

0.3%chance of exploitation in 30 days · 21st percentile

○ In CISA KEV ○ Public exploit / PoC

Impact if exploited

5.3CVSS 3.1 · MEDIUM

  • ConfidentialityNone
  • IntegrityNone
  • AvailabilityLow

What an attacker needs

  • Access: Reachable over the network — no local access needed
  • Privileges: No account or privileges required
  • 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

Test against your own equipment

curl -s https://vulnpedia.com/cve/CVE-2026-14940/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-2026-14940/poc.json

Affected

Vendors Red Hat Redhat

Products Red Hat Directory Server 11 Red Hat Directory Server 12 Red Hat Directory Server 13 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 Directory Server 389 Directory Server Enterprise Linux

Weakness (CWE)

  • CWE-122: Heap-based Buffer Overflow

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L

Known Affected Software Configurations

VendorProductVersion range
RedhatDirectory Server11.0
RedhatDirectory Server12.0
RedhatDirectory Server13.0
Redhat389 Directory Server*
RedhatEnterprise Linux7.0
RedhatEnterprise Linux8.0
RedhatEnterprise Linux9.0
RedhatEnterprise Linux10.0

All CVSS metrics

  • MEDIUM 5.3 v3.1 · CNA Primary
    CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
  • MEDIUM 5.3 v3.1 · NVD Secondary
    CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L

References

Advisories

Sources: NVD · CVE.org · EPSS