CVE-2026-88252: Loop with Unreachable Exit Condition ('Infinite Loop') in Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
Description
A flaw was found in sssd. A local user can cause a Denial of Service (DoS) by exhausting the responder service's available file descriptors (system handles used for open connections). By opening and maintaining many concurrent connections to a responder socket while continuing to queue new connection attempts, an attacker can trigger an unthrottled retry loop. This condition leads to high CPU utilization and stalls the service, preventing legitimate identity and authentication requests from being processed.
CVSS v3.1
Score 4.7medium
Affected software
Red Hat
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
Red Hat
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
Red Hat
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
Red Hat
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
Red Hat
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
Red Hat
Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
This vulnerability in sssd allows a local attacker to cause a denial of service by opening and maintaining many concurrent connections to a responder socket, exhausting available file descriptors. The attacker can queue new connection attempts that trigger an unthrottled retry loop, resulting in high CPU utilization and service stall. This prevents legitimate identity and authentication requests from being handled properly.
Potential Impact
The impact is a denial of service condition affecting the sssd responder service on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10. The service stalls due to resource exhaustion and high CPU usage, disrupting identity and authentication services. There is no confidentiality or integrity impact reported.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the Red Hat advisory at https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-88252 for current remediation guidance. Until a fix is available, limit local user access and monitor for unusual resource consumption related to sssd.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- redhat
- Date Reserved
- 2026-09-09T22:49:08.240Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Vendor Advisory Urls
- [{"url":"https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-88252","vendor":"Red Hat"}]
Threat ID: 6ac538122cdf04f656cdddec
Added to database: 10/06/2026, 18:04:02 UTC
Last enriched: 10/06/2026, 18:18:30 UTC
Last updated: 10/07/2026, 03:48:07 UTC
Views: 11
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