# CVE-2026-18922: Auth bypass in Red Hat Directory Server 11.5 E4S for RHEL 8

> Attackers can escalate privileges to Directory Manager by exploiting stale SASL identity states during authentication sequences.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 7 Sep 2026
- **Updated:** 8 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-99983, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-18922, GHSA-pr87-24g5-hphv, RHSA-2026:64811, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-18922

## What is CVE-2026-18922?

CVE-2026-18922 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in Red Hat Directory Server 11.5 E4S for RHEL 8, published on 7 Sep 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A flaw was found in 389 Directory Server. During SASL PLAIN authentication, a stale identity carried in a Cyrus SASL auxiliary property from a prior failed bind attempt can be installed on a connection following a subsequent, unrelated successful bind, regardless of which SASL mechanism completes that second bind. An attacker can send a SASL PLAIN bind as cn=Directory Manager with an incorrect password, then complete a SASL ANONYMOUS bind on the same connection, causing the server to grant Directory Manager authority without any valid credentials. A variant using a valid low-privileged account's own successful bind instead of an anonymous one is also possible.

Weakness: CWE-287 (Improper Authentication)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-18922?


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `389-ds-base` | Red Hat:rhel_els:6 | All versions | 0:1.2.11.15-97.el6_10.1 |
| `389-ds-base-debuginfo` | Red Hat:rhel_els:6 | All versions | 0:1.2.11.15-97.el6_10.1 |
| `389-ds-base-devel` | Red Hat:rhel_els:6 | All versions | 0:1.2.11.15-97.el6_10.1 |
| `389-ds-base-libs` | Red Hat:rhel_els:6 | All versions | 0:1.2.11.15-97.el6_10.1 |

## How do I fix CVE-2026-18922?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-18922 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-18922 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-18922 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-18922 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in Red Hat Directory Server 11.5 E4S for RHEL 8, published on 7 Sep 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-18922 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Red Hat Directory Server 11.5 E4S for RHEL 8. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-18922/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-18922/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-18922
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-18922
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-18922

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-18922/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.