CVE-2025-26465
MEDIUMCVSS 6.8/10EPSS 7.00%
Last modified
CVE-2025-26465 is a medium-severity vulnerability rated 6.8/10 on the CVSS scale. A vulnerability was found in OpenSSH when the VerifyHostKeyDNS option is enabled. A machine-in-the-middle attack can be performed by a malicious machine impersonating a legit server. EPSS estimates a 7.00% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.
Description
A vulnerability was found in OpenSSH when the VerifyHostKeyDNS option is enabled. A machine-in-the-middle attack can be performed by a malicious machine impersonating a legit server. This issue occurs due to how OpenSSH mishandles error codes in specific conditions when verifying the host key. For an attack to be considered successful, the attacker needs to manage to exhaust the client's memory resource first, turning the attack complexity high.
Metrics
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
Weakness Enumeration
Affected Software
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Update |
|---|---|---|---|
| Openbsd | Openssh | >= 6.9, <= 9.8 | — |
| Openbsd | Openssh | 6.8 | P1 |
| Openbsd | Openssh | 9.9 | — |
| Netapp | Active Iq Unified Manager | All versions | — |
| Netapp | Ontap | 9 | — |
| Redhat | Openshift Container Platform | 4.0 | — |
| Debian | Debian Linux | 11.0 | — |
| Debian | Debian Linux | 12.0 | — |
| Redhat | Enterprise Linux | 9.0 | — |
References
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2025-26465Third Party Advisory
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2344780Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory
- https://seclists.org/oss-sec/2025/q1/144Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
- https://bugzilla.suse.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1237040Issue Tracking
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/02/msg00020.htmlThird Party Advisory
- https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2025-26465Third Party Advisory
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20250228-0003/Third Party Advisory
- https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2025-26465Third Party Advisory
- https://www.openssh.com/releasenotes.html#9.9p2Release Notes
- https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2025/02/18/1Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
- https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2025/02/18/4Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
- https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/18/openssh_vulnerabilities_mitm_dos/Press/Media Coverage
- https://www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/cve-2025-26465-detect-vulnerable-opensshThird Party Advisory
- https://www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/cve-2025-26465-mitigate-vulnerable-opensshMitigation, Third Party Advisory
- https://seclists.org/oss-sec/2025/q1/144Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
Timeline
- Published
- Last Modified
- Status
- Modified
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2025-26465?
A vulnerability was found in OpenSSH when the VerifyHostKeyDNS option is enabled. A machine-in-the-middle attack can be performed by a malicious machine impersonating a legit server. This issue occurs due to how OpenSSH mishandles error codes in specific conditions when verifying the host key. For an attack to be considered successful, the attacker needs to manage to exhaust the client's memory resource first, turning the attack complexity high.
How severe is CVE-2025-26465?
CVE-2025-26465 has a CVSS score of 6.8/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 7.00% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How do I fix CVE-2025-26465?
Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.
How Strix Helps
- How Strix found a critical auth bypass in etcdStrix autonomously discovered a critical authentication bypass in etcd, later designated CVE-2026-33413.
- Autonomous PentestingAI agents that find and validate exploitable vulnerabilities like this one across your applications.
- PR ReviewsPentest every pull request so vulnerable code is caught before it ships to production.
- AI Penetration TestingHow AI-driven penetration testing continuously covers your attack surface.
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Are you affected by CVE-2025-26465?
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