OpenSSH Issues Emergency Fix for Flaw Letting Long Passwords Bypass SSH Auth on Alpine Linux

# OpenSSH Issues Emergency Fix for Flaw Letting Long Passwords Bypass SSH Auth on Alpine Linux

https://gcdradar.vercel.app/incidents/openssh-issues-emergency-fix-for-flaw-letting-long-passwords · AIR-2026-1791 · live

- Lane: Patch now
- Severity: 3 (Confirmed exploitation): Critical rating and patch available, no confirmed exploitation
- Fix status: Patched
- First reported: 2026-11-05
- AI role: No AI role
- Products: OpenSSH, Alpine Linux
- CVE ids: CVE-2026-123158

## Summary

A critical flaw in OpenSSH allowed authentication bypass using overly long passwords on Alpine Linux servers. The vendor released OpenSSH 10.6p2 to fix the issue and Alpine published patched packages.

## What to do

Update OpenSSH to version 10.6p2 and ensure Alpine packages are upgraded

## Affected and fixed versions

- Fixed in: OpenSSH 10.6p2

## Latest updates

- 2026-11-09: Added to the CISA KEV catalog (exploitation confirmed) (https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2026-123158)
- 2026-11-09: Botnets and cryptominers are actively exploiting the authentication bypass vulnerability (https://securityweek.com/hackers-exploiting-sshole-authentication-bypass-in-openssh)
- 2026-11-06: Threat intelligence confirms active exploitation of the OpenSSH authentication bypass flaw in the wild. (https://helpnetsecurity.com/2026/11/06/openssh-sshole-cve-2026-123158-exploitation)
- 2026-11-05: OpenSSH flaw lets attackers log into password-disabled Linux accounts (https://bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/openssh-flaw-lets-attackers-log-into-password-disabled-linux-accounts)
- 2026-11-05: OpenSSH Issues Emergency Fix for Flaw Letting Long Passwords Bypass SSH Auth on Alpine Linux (https://thehackernews.com/2026/11/openssh-issues-emergency-fix-for-flaw.html)

## Sources

- 2026-11-05 The Hacker News: OpenSSH Issues Emergency Fix for Flaw Letting Long Passwords Bypass SSH Auth on Alpine Linux https://thehackernews.com/2026/11/openssh-issues-emergency-fix-for-flaw.html
- 2026-11-05 BleepingComputer: OpenSSH flaw lets attackers log into password-disabled Linux accounts https://bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/openssh-flaw-lets-attackers-log-into-password-disabled-linux-accounts
- 2026-11-06 SecurityWeek: OpenSSH Rushes Patches for ‘SSHole’ Authentication Bypass https://securityweek.com/openssh-rushes-patches-for-sshole-authentication-bypass
- 2026-11-06 Help Net Security: OpenSSH flaw exploited in the wild just hours after disclosure (CVE-2026-123158) https://helpnetsecurity.com/2026/11/06/openssh-sshole-cve-2026-123158-exploitation
- 2026-11-06 The Hacker News: Hackers Target OpenSSH SSHole Flaw Within Hours of Disclosure, Gain Root on Honeypot https://thehackernews.com/2026/11/hackers-exploited-openssh-sshole-flaw.html
- 2026-11-09 SecurityWeek: Hackers Exploiting ‘SSHole’ Authentication Bypass in OpenSSH https://securityweek.com/hackers-exploiting-sshole-authentication-bypass-in-openssh
- 2026-11-09 BleepingComputer: Hackers exploit SSHole OpenSSH flaw to breach Linux systems https://bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/hackers-exploit-sshole-openssh-flaw-to-breach-linux-systems
- 2026-11-09 CISA: CVE-2026-123158: OpenBSD OpenSSH — OpenBSD OpenSSH Unexpected Status Code or Return Value Vulnerability https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2026-123158

Verify against the vendor's advisory before changing production. Data CC BY-SA 4.0, https://gcdradar.vercel.app.