libssh2 - Pre-Authentication DoS via SSH_MSG_EXT_INFO Handler

Summary

CVECVE-2026-55199
StatePUBLISHED
AssignerVulnCheck
Source PriorityCVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback
Published2026-06-17 20:17:28 UTC
Updated2026-06-17 20:17:28 UTC
Descriptionlibssh2 through 1.11.1, fixed in commit 1762685, contains a pre-authentication denial of service vulnerability in the SSH_MSG_EXT_INFO handler in src/packet.c that allows a malicious SSH server to cause a client CPU exhaustion loop by sending a crafted extension count value. A malicious server can set nr_extensions to 0xFFFFFFFF during key exchange, causing the client to spin in a tight CPU loop for over 60 seconds because return values from _libssh2_get_string() are unchecked and the session timeout does not apply to CPU-bound loops.

Risk And Classification

Primary CVSS: v4.0 8.2 HIGH from [email protected]

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/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

Problem Types: CWE-835 | CWE-835 Loop with Unreachable Exit Condition ('Infinite Loop')


VersionSourceTypeScoreSeverityVector
4.0[email protected]Secondary8.2HIGHCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/C...
4.0CNACVSS8.2HIGHCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
3.1[email protected]Primary5.9MEDIUMCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
3.1CNACVSS5.9MEDIUMCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CVSS v4.0 Breakdown

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Attack Requirements
Present
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High
Sub Conf.
None
Sub Integrity
None
Sub Availability
None

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/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

CVSS v3.1 Breakdown

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
High
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Vendor Declared Affected Products

SourceVendorProductVersionPlatforms
CNA Libssh2 Libssh2 affected 1.11.1 semver Not specified
CNA Libssh2 Libssh2 unaffected 17626857d20b3c9a1addfa45979dadcee1cd84a4 git Not specified

References

ReferenceSourceLinkTags
github.com/libssh2/libssh2/commit/17626857d20b3c9a1addfa45979dadcee1cd84a4 [email protected] github.com
github.com/libssh2/libssh2/pull/1864 [email protected] github.com
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/libssh2-pre-authentication-dos-via-ssh-msg-ext-inf... [email protected] www.vulncheck.com
CVE Program record CVE.ORG www.cve.org canonical
NVD vulnerability detail NVD nvd.nist.gov canonical, analysis

Vendor Comments And Credit

Discovery Credit

CNA: Tristan Madani (@TristanInSec) (en)

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