Unauthenticated LDAP exploit grants attacker-controlled Kerberos principal added to admin group, enabling full FreeIPA/IdM takeover of identity infrastructure used widely in enterprise Linux environments.
CVE-2026-76578
Unauthenticated LDAP exploit allows attacker to create admin Kerberos principal in FreeIPA
WAF coverage: Missing authentication for a critical function.
Also consider: patch
Is CVE-2026-76578 being exploited?
Not confirmed. CVE-2026-76578 does not appear in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which records only exploitation that has been observed and reported publicly. That is evidence of absence of a report, not evidence the flaw is unattacked. EPSS currently estimates a 0.45% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How severe is CVE-2026-76578?
CVE-2026-76578 is rated Critical with a CVSS score of 9.8. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.
Is there a patch for CVE-2026-76578?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2026-76578. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2026-76578 affect?
CVE-2026-76578 affects FreeIPA, Red Hat Identity Management (IdM), Underlying LDAP directory server with vulnerable ACI evaluation. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
What should I do about CVE-2026-76578?
Apply vendor patch immediately and restrict LDAP access until patched
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
Unauthenticated attacker can create a Kerberos principal, add it to administrators, and perform full FreeIPA/IdM administrative operations (remote admin takeover).
Immediate action required