# CVE-2026-88252: sssd responder denial of service via file descriptor exhaustion

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-88252-a-flaw-was-found-in-sssd-a-local-user-can-cause-a-denial-of  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-10-06. Updated: 2026-10-06  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-88252 · Severity: medium · CVSS 4.7 · Published 2026-10-06

SSSD is a system service that manages user identity and authentication for Linux systems. A local user can exhaust the responder service's file descriptors by opening many concurrent connections, triggering an unthrottled retry loop that causes high CPU usage and prevents legitimate authentication requests from being processed. This impacts service availability but does not compromise system security or data integrity.

Technologies: [SSSD Project SSSD](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/sssd). Vendors: [SSSD Project](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/sssd-project).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-88252 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-88252 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-88252?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 4.7, published 6 October 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** sssd project sssd.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-88252?** No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

**How is CVE-2026-88252 attacked?** It is attacked with local access, in a hosted service.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-88252?** Check whether you run SSSD Project SSSD. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## Technical details

A flaw in sssd's responder service allows a local attacker to trigger an infinite retry loop (CWE-835) by maintaining many concurrent connections to responder UNIX domain sockets while queuing new connection attempts. This exhausts available file descriptors, causing high CPU utilization and stalling the service. Exploitation requires local access and high attack complexity, but results in denial of service to identity and authentication requests.

## Affected products

- sssd project sssd

## Timeline

- 2026-10-06: disclosed

## References

- [https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/](https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/)
- [https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-88252](https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-88252)

## Related threats

- [SSSD PAM responder NULL pointer dereference](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-127101-a-flaw-was-found-in-sssd-s-pam-responder-a-local-attacker-can)
- [SSSD NFS idmap plugin out-of-bounds write](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-104036-a-flaw-was-found-in-sssd-s-nfs-idmap-plugin-when-retrieving)
- [SSSD Kerberos Credential Manager memory exhaustion denial of service](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-104035-a-flaw-was-found-in-sssd-an-issue-in-the-kerberos-credential)
- [SSSD LDAP shadow expiration bypass](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-104033-a-flaw-was-found-in-sssd-when-configured-to-enforce-account)
- [SSSD memory leak in autofs responder](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-104031-a-flaw-was-found-in-sssd-in-configurations-where-the-autofs)