CVE-2026-1658 identifies a User Interface (UI) Misrepresentation vulnerability categorized under CWE-451 in OpenText™ Directory Services, affecting versions from 20.4.1 through 25.2. The vulnerability arises from cache poisoning, where an attacker can inject manipulated text into the application's UI, causing it to display misleading or false critical information. This manipulation can deceive users into making incorrect decisions or actions based on falsified data presented by the directory service interface. The flaw does not require any authentication or privileges, nor does it require user interaction, making it remotely exploitable over the network. The vulnerability impacts the integrity of the UI data and potentially the availability of accurate information but does not directly affect confidentiality. The CVSS 4.0 base score of 5.3 reflects medium severity, considering the ease of exploitation (network accessible, no privileges), the partial impact on integrity, and the lack of confidentiality or availability impact. No known exploits have been reported in the wild as of the publication date. The vulnerability affects a broad range of OpenText Directory Services versions, indicating a wide potential attack surface. The root cause is the application's failure to properly validate or sanitize cached UI content, allowing an attacker to poison the cache with malicious or misleading text. This can be leveraged in social engineering or phishing scenarios within organizations relying on the directory service for critical information display. The vulnerability was reserved on January 29, 2026, and published on February 19, 2026, with no patches currently linked, suggesting that mitigation may require vendor updates or configuration changes.

The primary impact of CVE-2026-1658 is on the integrity of information presented to users via the OpenText Directory Services UI. By injecting manipulated text, attackers can mislead users, potentially causing incorrect administrative actions, misconfiguration, or trust in falsified data. This can lead to operational disruptions, erroneous decision-making, or exploitation of further vulnerabilities if users act on the false information. Although confidentiality is not directly compromised, the deception can indirectly facilitate social engineering or privilege escalation attacks. Availability impact is limited but possible if users lose trust in the directory service or if the poisoned cache causes application instability. Organizations relying heavily on OpenText Directory Services for identity, access management, or directory lookups may experience degraded security posture and operational risk. The ease of exploitation without authentication and over the network increases the threat level, especially in environments exposed to untrusted networks or with insufficient network segmentation. The absence of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the potential for future attacks. Overall, the vulnerability can undermine user trust and the reliability of critical directory information, impacting organizational security and operational continuity.

To mitigate CVE-2026-1658, organizations should implement the following specific measures: 1) Monitor and audit UI content and cache behavior in OpenText Directory Services to detect anomalies or unexpected text injections. 2) Restrict network access to the directory service to trusted internal networks and implement network segmentation to limit exposure to untrusted sources. 3) Employ web application firewalls (WAFs) or intrusion detection systems (IDS) with rules targeting cache poisoning or UI manipulation patterns. 4) Validate and sanitize all inputs and cached data within the application environment if customization or integration points exist. 5) Engage with OpenText support to obtain patches or updates addressing this vulnerability as soon as they become available. 6) Educate users and administrators about the risk of UI misrepresentation and encourage verification of critical information through multiple channels. 7) Implement strict access controls and logging to trace any suspicious activity related to directory service UI changes. 8) Consider temporary workarounds such as disabling caching features if feasible and safe. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on detection, network controls, and user awareness specific to UI cache poisoning risks in OpenText Directory Services.