# CVE-2026-73281: Security feature bypass in OpenSSH

> Remote attackers can bypass local-only restrictions in OpenSSH ssh-agent to add tokens or use keys due to a locking mechanism flaw.

- **Severity:** Low 3.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 11 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 11 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** ALPINE-CVE-2026-73281, AZL-95535, BELL-CVE-2026-73281, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-73281, ECHO-00a9-77b0-b174, GHSA-j58v-28m8-49f3, JLSEC-2026-1327, OESA-2026-3673, OESA-2026-3674, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-73281

## What is CVE-2026-73281?

CVE-2026-73281 is a low-severity vulnerability in OpenSSH, published on 11 Aug 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

In ssh-agent in OpenSSH before 10.5, some operations can occur remotely but were intended to occur only locally, including operations that add tokens or use keys. This is caused by misinteraction between agent locking and the session-bind@openssh.com extension.

Weakness: CWE-669 (Incorrect Resource Transfer Between Spheres)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-73281?

It affects 1 product.


Products: OpenSSH.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-73281?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2026-73281 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-73281 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in OpenSSH

- [CVE-2003-0786](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2003-0786/): Auth bypass in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2003-0693](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2003-0693/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2002-0640](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2002-0640/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2001-0144](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2001-0144/): Integer overflow in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2000-0999](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2000-0999/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-73281 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-73281 is a low-severity vulnerability in OpenSSH, published on 11 Aug 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-73281 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: OpenSSH. 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-2026-73281/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-73281/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-73281
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-73281
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-73281

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-73281/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.