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Full vulnerability report · 2026
CVE-2026-66033High confidence

libssh2 Integer Underflow DoS via AES-GCM Cipher Negotiation

libssh2 · libssh2

8.7HighCVSS 4.0
Recommended action
Within 7 days

High technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.

Patch available
Distribution package intelligence

Ubuntu vendor package status

Canonical’s release and source-package findings are shown separately from local repository availability.

1 package state
Repository candidate not checked

A published vendor fix does not prove that a matching update is enabled and installable on a particular asset. Confirm the local package candidate before scheduling remediation.

Ubuntu releaseSource packageVendor stateFixed versionEvidence
Ubuntu 24.04 LTSnoble · standard archivelibssh2Vendor fix publishedCanonical reports that a fixed source package version has been published. Repository candidate availability is not checked by BlackTree.1.11.0-4.1ubuntu0.24.04.4Canonical record ↗Source updated 8 Sept 2026
Direct vendor intelligence

Authoritative vendor CSAF and VEX advisories

Structured product status and remediation from the issuing vendor. Product-state explanations are always visible; large lists can be searched or downloaded.

1 current
CVE-2026-66033 · CSAF 2.0 · revision 3 · finalRed Hat Product Securitylibssh2: libssh2: Denial of Service via integer underflow in AES-GCM cipher negotiation
4 known affected

The vendor explicitly identifies these products as affected by this CVE.

  • libssh2 as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
  • libssh2-devel as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
  • libssh2-docs as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
  • libssh2.src as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
Summary
A flaw was found in libssh2. A pre-authentication integer underflow vulnerability exists in the `ssh2_cipher_crypt()` function when negotiating AES-GCM ciphers during the handshake. A malicious SSH server can exploit this to trigger an out-of-bounds read and a memory copy operation with an extremely large length argument, leading to an immediate client process crash. This vulnerability results in a Denial of Service (DoS) for any connecting client.
Remediation
For details on how to apply this update, which includes the changes described in this advisory, refer to: https://images.redhat.com/
Optional official sources

National CERT insights
?CERT means Computer Emergency Response Team; CSIRT is the closely related term Computer Security Incident Response Team.

Select the national-authority views to include. The exact source language is shown on each matched advisory. Your choice is remembered on this device and encoded in the shareable URL.

Official European source

ENISA European Vulnerability Database

Official EUVD identifiers, advisory evidence and known-exploited context. Missing fields are not treated as evidence of low risk.

1 current
ENISA EUVD identifier

EUVD-2026-48720

No EUVD known-exploited evidence

ENISA has published the identifier mapping but no EUVD description has been stored yet.

EUVD state
Present in the current official mapping
Known exploitation
Not present in the current ENISA EUVD known-exploited dataset. This is not proof of no exploitation.
ENISA score
Not supplied in the stored EUVD record
Advisory evidence
No linked advisory details stored yet
Recommended actionWithin 7 days

High technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.

Patch available
01

What, why and how

libssh2 through 1.11.1, fixed in commit a2ed82d, contains a pre-authentication integer underflow vulnerability in the ssh2_cipher_crypt() function in src/openssl.c that allows a malicious SSH server to crash any connecting client by negotiating AES-GCM ciphers during handshake. Attackers can exploit the underflow in the expression computing blocksize minus aadlen minus authentication tag length to trigger an out-of-bounds read and a memcpy call with a near-SIZE_MAX length argument, causing immediate process crash before any authentication occurs.

What

libssh2 through 1.11.1, fixed in commit a2ed82d, contains a pre-authentication integer underflow vulnerability in the ssh2_cipher_crypt() function in src/openssl.c that allows a malicious SSH server to crash any connecting client by negotiating AES-GCM ciphers during handshake. Attackers can exploit the underflow in the expression computing blocksize minus aadlen minus authentication tag length to trigger an out-of-bounds read and a memcpy call with a near-SIZE_MAX length argument, causing immediate process crash before any authentication occurs.

Why

The product subtracts one value from another, such that the result is less than the minimum allowable integer value, which produces a value that is not equal to the correct result.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may disrupt the affected service.

What

libssh2 through 1.11.1, fixed in commit a2ed82d, contains a pre-authentication integer underflow vulnerability in the ssh2_cipher_crypt() function in src/openssl.c that allows a malicious SSH server to crash any connecting client by negotiating AES-GCM ciphers during handshake. Attackers can exploit the underflow in the expression computing blocksize minus aadlen minus authentication tag length to trigger an out-of-bounds read and a memcpy call with a near-SIZE_MAX length argument, causing immediate process crash before any authentication occurs.

Why

The product subtracts one value from another, such that the result is less than the minimum allowable integer value, which produces a value that is not equal to the correct result.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may disrupt the affected service.

02

Exploit reality and attack path

CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.

Observed exploitation
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
No confirmed evidence

No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.

Public PoC / exploit material
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
None recorded

No exploit-tagged reference or CISA SSVC proof-of-concept state is currently recorded. Research may still exist outside the structured feeds.

Likely attack path
a network path → Integer Underflow (Wrap or Wraparound) → disrupt the affected service
Attack surface
Network
Privileges required
None: unauthenticated exploitation is possible
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
Security boundary
Not a CVSS 4.0 base metric
Weakness
?CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness.
CWE-191 ↗

CWE-191: Integer Underflow (Wrap or Wraparound). The product subtracts one value from another, such that the result is less than the minimum allowable integer value, which produces a value that is not equal to the correct result.

CVSS vector
?CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity.
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Common Vulnerability Scoring System 4.0: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.

AVNetworkAttack vector: The vulnerable component can be reached over a network.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.ATNoneAttack requirements: No additional deployment or execution condition is required.PRNonePrivileges required: The attacker does not need an account or existing privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.VCNoneVulnerable-system confidentiality: No direct loss is represented by this metric.VINoneVulnerable-system integrity: No direct loss is represented by this metric.VAHighVulnerable-system availability: A successful attack can cause a major loss.SCNoneSubsequent-system confidentiality: No direct loss is represented by this metric.SINoneSubsequent-system integrity: No direct loss is represented by this metric.SANoneSubsequent-system availability: No direct loss is represented by this metric.
Post-exploitation / living off the land
No specific living-off-the-land technique is confirmed in the structured sources. Monitor normal administration tools for activity inconsistent with the affected service's baseline.
NetworkUnauthenticatedDenial of serviceCWE-191
A

Official authority intelligence

Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.

BSI · German · WID-SEC-W-2026-2516libssh2: Mehrere Schwachstellen

Ein entfernter, anonymer Angreifer kann mehrere Schwachstellen in libssh2 ausnutzen, um möglicherweise vertrauliche Informationen offenzulegen, einen Denial-of-Service-Zustand herbeizuführen oder beliebigen Code auszuführen.

Official advisory
03

Patch and workaround

Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.

Status
?Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change.
Patch available
Affected
libssh2 as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6; libssh2-devel as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6; libssh2-docs as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6; libssh2.src as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
Fixed
libssh2-main@aarch64 as a component of Red Hat Hardened Images; libssh2-main@noarch as a component of Red Hat Hardened Images; libssh2-main@src as a component of Red Hat Hardened Images; libssh2-main@x86_64 as a component of Red Hat Hardened Images
Action
For details on how to apply this update, which includes the changes described in this advisory, refer to: https://images.redhat.com/
Workaround
No verified workaround is recorded. If business-safe, reduce exposure to the affected interface and allow only trusted sources until authoritative guidance is available.
04

Evidence and provenance

Published 24 Jul 2026 · Last source change 28 Jul 2026, 01:06 UTC · CWE-191 · Integer Underflow (Wrap or Wraparound)

CVE recordCVE.org · 5.2
CVSS sourceCNA
EPSS source
?The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.
FIRST · tracked since 2026-08-14
European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2026-48720
Product sourceVendor CSAF · Red Hat Product Security
Remediation sourceVendor CSAF · Red Hat Product Security
CWE sourceCNA
NVD statusNVD enriched

Core structured fields are present and their contributing authorities are shown above.

Material change intelligence

What changed after publication

View recent updates →

No material field changes have been recorded since change tracking began. Routine source refreshes and cosmetic edits are intentionally excluded.

Material fields only · duplicate refreshes suppressed · history retained for the configured operational retention period
CVE published
Fixed release or patch reference recorded
ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2026-48720↗Vendor CSAF · Red Hat Product Security↗CVE authority or vendor reference↗Patch or update reference↗Patch or update reference↗Official CVE record (CNA and ADP data)↗NVD record↗
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
CVE
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
CVSS
Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
EPSS
Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
CWE
Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
CNA
CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
CISA ADP
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
NVD
National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
CERT / CSIRT
A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
PoC
Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
CSAF
Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
LoTL
Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.
Free version - for non-commercial use only.CVE-2026-66033 · cve.blacktree.nl