CVE-2026-48829
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedIn GNU SASL before 2.2.3, DIGEST-MD5 has a NULL pointer dereference affecting both clients and servers, via a known token with no accompanying = character. This occurs in lib/digest-md5/getsubopt.c.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceIn GNU SASL before version 2.2.3, the DIGEST-MD5 authentication mechanism contains a NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in lib/digest-md5/getsubopt.c. The vulnerability is triggered when processing a token that lacks the expected = character separator, causing the parser to dereference a NULL pointer. This affects both client and server implementations of the library.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify GNU SASL installation and versionRun 'gsasl --version' or check the shared library version with 'ldd <binary>' and 'strings <library> | grep gsasl' to find the installed version numberAffected if The installed version is earlier than 2.2.3 (e.g., 2.1.x, 2.0.x, 1.x)
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Determine if DIGEST-MD5 authentication is in useReview application configuration files or SASL configuration for any 'DIGEST-MD5' or 'digest-md5' authentication mechanism settingsAffected if DIGEST-MD5 is listed as an allowed or enabled authentication method in the SASL configuration
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Check for client or server applications using GSASL libraryIdentify processes or applications that link to libgsasl (e.g., using 'ldd' or 'objdump -p' on binaries) and use SASL authenticationAffected if Any application using the GNU SASL library with DIGEST-MD5 authentication enabled is present
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Verify the vulnerable code path could be triggeredReview application logs or network captures for incoming DIGEST-MD5 authentication attempts that could send tokens without the required '=' characterAffected if The system processes DIGEST-MD5 authentication requests from clients or connects to servers using DIGEST-MD5
You are affected if GNU SASL version is earlier than 2.2.3 AND DIGEST-MD5 authentication is enabled or used in your environment.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scopedUpgrade GNU SASL to version 2.2.3 or later to obtain the patch that adds proper NULL validation in the token parsing logic. Until upgraded, limit exposure by restricting DIGEST-MD5 authentication or using alternative authentication mechanisms.
GNU SASL 2.2.3 or later
- Upgrade GNU SASL to version 2.2.3 or later to address the NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in lib/digest-md5/getsubopt.c
- After upgrading, verify that DIGEST-MD5 authentication functions correctly for both client and server implementations
- Test the upgrade in a non-production environment before deploying to production systems
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,040.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-48829 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-48829 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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