SSH server timing side-channel in ssh_auth:check_password/3 allows unauthenticated username enumeration
Noroxi assessment
Priority: Monitor (action score 25/100)
- The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
- Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.62% (FIRST EPSS).
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. No account or password is required. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
- According to CISA the attack is automatable: targets can be found by mass scanning.
- Fixed version: Erlang OTP 29.0.2, 6.0.1, c342092ef4b369bb409d5b71ac8fd83bab74aedf.
Low priority for now. Upgrade to Erlang OTP 29.0.2, 6.0.1, c342092ef4b369bb409d5b71ac8fd83bab74aedf or later.
Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it
Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS
Observable Timing Discrepancy vulnerability in Erlang/OTP ssh (ssh_auth, ssh_options modules) allows unauthenticated remote username enumeration via timing side-channel in password authentication. When the SSH daemon is configured with the user_passwords or password option, ssh_auth:check_password/3 performs a PBKDF2-SHA256 computation with 600,000 iterations (~300ms) for valid usernames, but returns immediately (~0ms) for invalid usernames via the ssh_options:get_password_option/2 path. This timing difference is detectable in a single authentication attempt and allows an unauthenticated attacker to distinguish valid from invalid usernames. The user_passwords and password options are documented as intended for test purposes; the recommended alternative is pwdfun, which is not affected by this vulnerability. This vulnerability is associated with program files lib/ssh/src/ssh_auth.erl and lib/ssh/src/ssh_options.erl. This issue affects OTP from OTP 29.0 before OTP 29.0.2, corresponding to ssh from 6.0 before 6.0.1.
- Published
- Jun 10, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 8, 2026
- EPSS
- 0.6% · 49th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-208
Report tools
Action score
25
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 25 / 40 · 6.3 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 0 / 30 · 0.6%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- none
- Automatable
- yes
- Technical impact
- partial
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
CNA vs NVD score
- NVD
- —
- CNA · EEF
- 6.3
- NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.
Get told when this record changes
- Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
- No public exploit code on record
- A fix has been released
If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.
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Noroxi analysis
What does it mean in your environment?
The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.
We use this product, ask for helpAffected systems
Is your version affected?
Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| erlang | erlang\/otp | cpe:2.3:a:erlang:erlang\/otp |
| erlang | erlang\/ssh | cpe:2.3:a:erlang:erlang\/ssh |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- erlang erlang/otp29.0 and later · before 29.0.2
- erlang erlang/ssh6.0 and later · before 6.0.1
Versions reported by the vendor
Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (EEF). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.
Erlang OTP
- 29.0 and later · before 29.0.2affected · otp
- 6.0 and later · before 6.0.1affected · otp
- 032d1bc9491a3975c68faf9bc7776115d6ae3005 and later · before c342092ef4b369bb409d5b71ac8fd83bab74aedfaffected · git
Same product
erlang: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2025-32433Erlang/OTP SSH Vulnerable to Pre-Authentication RCEKEV100Now
- CVE-2017-1000385The Erlang otp TLS server answers with different TLS alerts to different error types in the RSA PKCS #1 1.5 padding.60This week
- CVE-2022-37026In Erlang/OTP before 23.3.4.15, 24.x before 24.3.4.2, and 25.x before 25.0.2, there is a Client Authentication Bypass in certain client-cert39Monitor
Published before and after this one in the same product
- ← EarlierCVE-2026-42790May 27, 2026 · nameConstraints DNS bypass via subject CommonName fallback in public_key hostname verification30Monitor
- ← EarlierCVE-2026-48855Jun 10, 2026 · SFTP READLINK Leaks Absolute Backend Filesystem Path When Root Is Configured9Monitor
- Later →CVE-2026-48860Jun 10, 2026 · Distribution-over-TLS LAN allowlist silently bypassed due to sockname/peername confusion in inet_tls_dist30Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Erlang OTP | 29.0.2 | Vendor (CNA) |
| Erlang OTP | 6.0.1 | Vendor (CNA) |
| Erlang OTP | c342092ef4b369bb409d5b71ac8fd83bab74aedf | Vendor (CNA) |
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.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
- Zhang Delongfinder
- Jakub Witczakremediation developer
- Ingela Anderton Andinremediation reviewer
- Michał Wąsowskiremediation reviewer
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
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.
- No account or password is required.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- Integrity
- Availability
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- X
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-208 · Observable Timing DiscrepancyCVSS vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
nvd-secondary
Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Change log
- Fix✗ → ✓
For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →
References
Show all references (4 more)Show less
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.