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OpenSSH fixed for *sshole long-password root flaw on musl systems

Original title: Get root on a musl Linux system by slamming it with an overly long password

The Register · Securityby Brandon Vigliarolo ()3 min read1
Read at theregister.com
Part of a story covered by 20 sourcesAttackers exploit OpenSSH SSHole bypass on musl Linux systemsMerged summary & timeline
AI summary · x-ai/grok-4.7Summaries by Vani AI

Attackers can gain root on musl libc OpenSSH by supplying 257-1024 character passwords when no PAM is used.

A vulnerability in OpenSSH lets attackers gain root access on certain musl-based Linux systems by entering overly long passwords. It affects Alpine Linux cloud images and embedded systems running OpenSSH without PAM and with password authentication enabled. The flaw dates to 2016 and is fixed in OpenSSH 10.6p2 or newer.

Key facts
  • Vulnerability allows root via passwords 257-1024 characters
  • Only on musl libc systems without PAM
  • No known exploitation in the wild
  • Fixed in OpenSSH 10.6p2
  • Disable password auth as mitigation
Security assessment · AI, from the articleNo known exploitation

Impact: unauthenticated root access on specific musl systems

What to do
  1. 1.Upgrade to OpenSSH 10.6p2 or newer
  2. 2.Disable password authentication
Analyze this story with Vani AIImpact, who is affected and what defenders should do, in a new chat
Tags
opensshmuslalpine-linuxembedded-security
Vendors
OpenSSH

From the original article

3 min read at theregister.com

Decade-old vulnerability in OpenSSH is now fixed, so get a-patchin'

The Register · Security

By Brandon Vigliarolo · theregister.com

Read the full article at The Register · Security

A short excerpt; the article and its images belong to the publisher. Summary, key facts and assessment above are AI-written from the article and can be wrong.