CVE-2026-14940
MEDIUM 5.3A 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 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
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
- github-search Search GitHub for public PoC repos
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
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
| Vendor | Product | Version range |
|---|---|---|
| Redhat | Directory Server | 11.0 |
| Redhat | Directory Server | 12.0 |
| Redhat | Directory Server | 13.0 |
| Redhat | 389 Directory Server | * |
| Redhat | Enterprise Linux | 7.0 |
| Redhat | Enterprise Linux | 8.0 |
| Redhat | Enterprise Linux | 9.0 |
| Redhat | Enterprise Linux | 10.0 |
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