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Report · SANS ISC Handlers DiaryAbout CVE-2026-123158Published

Scans for Sshole Vulnerability (CVE-2026-123158), (Sun, Nov 8th)

Source SANS ISC Handlers Diary

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Authoritative record:CVE-2026-123158· High 8.1

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 8.1 High : upgrade to 10.6p2 soon.

Data as of 8 Nov 2026, 15:48 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
8.1High
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

Thin evidence

One scorer or none
CVSS scores by source
CNA (mitre)CVSS 3.18.1
Patch
Available – fixed in 10.6p2
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 5 Nov 2026

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponized: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq Mirage: no evidence on record.

    No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 8 Nov 2026.

What to do

Upgrade OpenSSH to 10.6p2.

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
OpenBSDOpenSSHAffected
  • <10.6p2
Fixed in
  • 10.6p2

AI-suggested

Since the vulnerability is actively scanned and exploited, monitoring SSH access logs for unusual login attempts, especially those with long or command-like passwords, is advisable. Harden SSH configurations by disabling password authentication in favor of key-based authentication and restricting access where possible.

Description

The sshole vulnerability (CVE-2026-123158) has recently emerged, leading to increased scanning and exploitation attempts observed by honeypots using Cowrie. Starting November 1st, there has been a notable rise in SSH login attempts using unusually long passwords, some containing shell commands. Initial exploit attempts began on November 5th with repeated password patterns. Multiple IP addresses from various autonomous systems worldwide have been identified as sources of these scans. The honeypot data suggests some of these attempts may have succeeded, but detailed exploitation impact is not yet fully analyzed.

References

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