CVE-2026-48859
MEDIUMDescription
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.
How to fix
TridentStack Control can deploy fixes like this automatically across your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet. See how it works
Remediation is compiled from vendor and distribution security advisories. Always confirm against the linked source for your exact version and platform.
CVSS v3 Vector
Exploitability
Impact
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
Exploit Intelligence
Low risk: more likely to be exploited than 28% of all known CVEs.
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-208 vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2019-9494 | Medium | 5.9 | 3.9% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2019-16782 | Medium | 6.3 | 3.7% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2025-53940 | Unscored | - | 2.6% | - | - |
| CVE-2020-1926 | Medium | 5.9 | 2.5% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2021-43298 | Critical | 9.8 | 2.3% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2024-29995 | High | 8.1 | 1.5% | - | Fix |
Common questions
How do I fix CVE-2026-48859?
Published advisories record a fix for 2 affected products. The "How to fix" section on this page lists the fixed version and source advisory for each one, so apply the entry matching what you actually run.
Is CVE-2026-48859 being actively exploited?
Not that we know of. CVE-2026-48859 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 0.35% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 28% of all scored CVEs.
How severe is CVE-2026-48859?
CVE-2026-48859 has a CVSS v3 base score of 5.3, rated medium. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.
What does CVE-2026-48859 affect?
Published advisories record a fix for erlang\/otp (NVD), erlang\/ssh (NVD). Only products with a sourced advisory are listed, so treat this as what we can cite rather than a complete inventory.
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This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2026-08-03.