CVE-2026-48859
mediumpriority · track · 21EPSS 0.004 · 29 %ileDEEUUSEPSS · scored 2026-10-27
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.
cvss
Technical severity, 0–10. One row per scoring source.
base score 0–10 · higher = more severe · hover a vector to decode⚠ sources disagree · low–medium · 1.7–6.3
ssvc
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weaknesses
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affected products (15)
Products and version ranges known to be affected.
advisories (2)
Vendor and ecosystem advisories describing this.
- WID-SEC-W-2026-1887Erlang/OTP: Mehrere SchwachstellenDeutsch2026-06-10csaf · cert_bundDE
Ein Angreifer kann mehrere Schwachstellen in Erlang/OTP ausnutzen, um Sicherheitsvorkehrungen zu umgehen, Daten zu manipulieren, vertrauliche Informationen offenzulegen oder einen Denial-of-Service-Zustand zu verursachen.
- EEF-CVE-2026-48859SSH server timing side-channel in ssh_auth:check_password/3 allows unauthenticated username enumeration2026-06-10vendor · osvUS
## Summary 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. ## Workarounds * Use the `pwdfun` option instead of `user_passwords` for password authentication. The `pwdfun` callback gives full control over timing behavior and is not affected by this vulnerability. Implementations should take care to execute in approximately constant time regardless of username validity. * Restrict SSH port access to trusted networks only via firewall rules, reducing the set of potential attackers who can perform timing measurements. ## Configurations The SSH daemon must be configured with the `user_passwords` or `password` option for password authentication. Systems using the `pwdfun` option instead are not affected.
also known as (3)
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sources
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references (12)
External citations — patches, advisories, analysis.
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-48859cnnvd
- https://www.erlang.org/downloadsPatchcnnvd
- https://cna.erlef.org/cves/CVE-2026-48859.htmlenisa_euvd
- https://github.com/erlang/otp/commit/c342092ef4b369bb409d5b71ac8fd83bab74aedfenisa_euvd
- https://github.com/erlang/otp/security/advisories/GHSA-3w6p-vwhf-wvp4enisa_euvd
- https://osv.dev/vulnerability/EEF-CVE-2026-48859enisa_euvd
- https://www.erlang.org/doc/system/versions.html#order-of-versionsenisa_euvd
- https://cna.erlef.org/cves/CVE-2026-48859.htmlMitigationThird Party Advisorynvd
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