Ipa: freeipa: authenticated dos in `otptoken-add` via unbounded otp key decoding/re-encoding
A flaw was found in FreeIPA. A low-privilege authenticated user can exploit this vulnerability by submitting an oversized One-Time Password (OTP) key value. This oversized key is then decoded and re-encoded without proper size limits, consuming excessive CPU and memory resources. This can lead to a denial of service, degrading the availability of the IPA service.
- Published
- Aug 20, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 24, 2026
- EPSS
- 0.4% · 35th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-770
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Report tools
Action score
26
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 26 / 40 · 6.5 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 0 / 30 · 0.4%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- none
- Automatable
- no
- Technical impact
- partial
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
CNA vs NVD score
- NVD
- 6.5
- CNA · redhat
- 4.3
- 2.2 point gap
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.
Noroxi analysis
No Noroxi analysis for this record yet
We don't hand-write analysis for the hundreds of thousands of vulnerabilities in the database; that wouldn't be honest. For notable, high-impact vulnerabilities our team writes the mechanism, detection and remediation steps.
We use this product, ask for helpAffected systems
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| freeipa | freeipa | cpe:2.3:a:freeipa:freeipa |
| redhat | enterprise linux | cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- freeipa freeipabefore 4.13.3
- redhat enterprise linux10.0
- redhat enterprise linux6.0
- redhat enterprise linux7.0
- redhat enterprise linux8.0
- redhat enterprise linux9.0
Versions reported by the vendor
Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (redhat). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.
Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- all versionsaffected
Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- all versionsunknown
Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- all versionsaffected
Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- all versionsaffected
Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- all versionsaffected
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | freeipa | all versions | — |
Same product
freeipa: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2015-5284ipa-kra-install in FreeIPA before 4.2.2 puts the CA agent certificate and private key in /etc/httpd/alias/kra-agent.pem, which is world read39Monitor
- CVE-2019-14867A flaw was found in IPA, all 4.6.x versions before 4.6.7, all 4.7.x versions before 4.7.4 and all 4.8.x versions before 4.8.3, in the way th37Monitor
- CVE-2012-5631ipa 3.0 does not properly check server identity before sending credential containing cookies36Monitor
- CVE-2017-11191FreeIPA 4.x with API version 2.213 allows a remote authenticated users to bypass intended account-locking restrictions via an unlock action 36Monitor
- CVE-2024-2698Freeipa: delegation rules allow a proxy service to impersonate any user to access another target service35Monitor
- CVE-2026-13097Ipa: privilege escalation via krbcanonicalname manipulation due to realm-unaware uniqueness enforcement in freeipa ldap datastore34Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
No fix version is recorded for this entry. Check the references for vendor advisories.
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
No dated events beyond publication.
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
- Found by AISLE in partnershipRed Hat.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
- CVE-2026-731970 days apartIpa: freeipa: unauthenticated dos in `/ipa/migration/migration.py` via unbounded request body read30Monitor
- CVE-2026-731980 days apartIpa: freeipa: unauthenticated dos in `/ipa/i18n_messages` via unbounded request body read30Monitor
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
- A low-privileged account is enough.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- none
- Integrity
- none
- Availability
- high · the service can be disrupted
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- None
- Integrity impact
- None
- Availability impact
- High
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-770 · Allocation of Resources Without Limits or ThrottlingCVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
nvd-primary
Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
- FloodingCAPEC-125likelihood: High · Medium
- Excessive AllocationCAPEC-130likelihood: Medium · Medium
- XML Ping of the DeathCAPEC-147likelihood: Low · Medium
- Exponential Data ExpansionCAPEC-197likelihood: High · Medium
- Serialized Data Parameter BlowupCAPEC-229likelihood: High · High
- Serialized Data with Nested PayloadsCAPEC-230likelihood: Medium · High
- Oversized Serialized Data PayloadsCAPEC-231likelihood: Medium · High
- HTTP DoSCAPEC-469Low
ATT&CK techniques
- Network Denial of Service:Direct Network FloodT1498.001
- Network Denial of Service:Reflection AmplificationT1498.002
- Endpoint Denial of ServiceT1499
- Endpoint Denial of Service: OS Exhaustion FloodT1499.001
- Endpoint Denial of Service:Service Exhaustion FloodT1499.002
- Endpoint Denial of Service:Application Exhaustion FloodT1499.003
Change log
No changes recorded on tracked fields yet. Score, KEV, exploit maturity and fix status changes appear here.
References
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.