CVE-2026-117548

A NULL pointer dereference flaw was found in 389-ds-base. This flaw occurs when a ModifyDN (rename) operation uses an attribute's schema alias name (such as "commonName") instead of its canonical name (such as "cn") as the new relative distinguished name. An authenticated attacker with the ModifyDN (rename) permission on the affected entry can use this flaw to crash the directory server, causing a denial of service.

This flaw does not affect 389-ds-base or Red Hat Identity Management (IdM/FreeIPA) in their default configurations. Exploitation requires that an administrator has explicitly configured a non-default access control instruction (ACI) granting the ModifyDN (rename) right to a principal other than a directory administrator.

The CVSS score(s) listed for this vulnerability do not reflect the associated product's status, and are included for informational purposes to better understand the severity of this vulnerability.

Administrators should review custom access control instructions (ACIs) and avoid granting the ModifyDN (rename) right to non-administrative principals unless specifically required. Restricting this right reduces exposure to this issue until a fixed package is available. Neither 389-ds-base's own default ACI templates nor Red Hat Identity Management (IdM/FreeIPA)'s default ACIs grant this right to non-administrative users, so deployments that have not customized their ACIs are not exposed.