Reference material — not professional advice. Test in staging, back up first, verify against your specific version. Use your own judgment for your environment.
● Low · CVSS 2.2

How to Fix CVE-2026-0967: Critical Vulnerability in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10

Other vulnerabilities in the same area that are worth patching alongside this one:

*By Sai Kiran Pandrala*

⚡ At a glance
SeverityCVSS 2.2 - Low
Actively exploited?Not currently listed in CISA KEV
AffectedRed Hat Enterprise Linux 10 - see advisory for affected version ranges
Fixed in0:0.12.0-2.el10, 0:0.10.4-18.el9, 0:0.10.4-18.el9
Type (CWE)CWE-1333: Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity

What is CVE-2026-0967?

CVE-2026-0967 is a security flaw in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10. A flaw was found in libssh. A remote attacker, by controlling client configuration files or known_hosts files, could craft specific hostnames that when processed by the match_pattern() function can lead to inefficient regular expression backtracking.

Why this CVE matters

Unpatched network-facing software is the leading initial-access vector in public breach reporting. Treat any CVSS-9 class flaw on an internet-reachable system as urgent, regardless of whether public exploit code has been observed yet.

For deployments of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 that have been exposed to the public internet during the disclosure window, the operating assumption should be that scanning has already happened. Even where exploitation has not been publicly observed, scanning for the vulnerable fingerprint is cheap and routine. Patching closes the door; log review and credential rotation close out the rest of the response.

Am I affected?

Check your installed Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 version against the affected ranges in the vendor advisory linked below. If you cannot determine the version, treat the system as potentially affected and apply the patched build.

Open Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10's About dialog or run the vendor-documented version-check command. Compare the result against the affected ranges in the advisory.

How to fix CVE-2026-0967

The fix is to upgrade Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 to version * or later.

Affected versions confirmed in the CVE record:

Patch via the OS package manager (Linux)


<!-- enrich_agent_2:v1 -->
# 1. Update the package metadata.
sudo apt update                                  # Debian / Ubuntu
sudo dnf check-update                            # RHEL / Rocky / AlmaLinux / Fedora
sudo zypper refresh                              # openSUSE

# 2. Pull the patched version `*` of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 from Red Hat.
sudo apt install --only-upgrade red-hat-enterprise-linux-10
sudo dnf upgrade red-hat-enterprise-linux-10
sudo zypper update red-hat-enterprise-linux-10

# 3. Restart the affected service so the patched binary is the running binary.
sudo systemctl restart red-hat-enterprise-linux-10 || true

# 4. Verify the running version.
red-hat-enterprise-linux-10 --version

Verify the fix worked


<!-- enrich_agent_2:v1 -->
# 1. Confirm the running version matches the fixed-in version from the advisory.
#    Cross-check against the vendor advisory: https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:18160

# 2. Re-scan with your vulnerability scanner. The scanner should no longer flag
#    this CVE on the patched host.
# Example with Nmap NSE:
nmap -sV --script vuln <target-host>

# 3. Inspect the service / kernel logs for crash-loops or rollback events in
#    the first hour after the upgrade.
journalctl -u <service-name> --since "1 hour ago"
dmesg --since "1 hour ago"

If you cannot patch immediately

No official workaround exists beyond restricting network exposure to the affected component. Apply the vendor patch as the primary remediation.

How to verify the fix worked

If your installation was internet-reachable during the disclosure window, treat log review as part of the remediation rather than an optional follow-up. Look for log entries that do not match your normal request patterns, especially repeated requests to the same uncommon endpoint, and any administrative changes you cannot tie back to a known operator.

Frequently asked questions

Is CVE-2026-0967 being exploited in the wild?

Public exploitation has not been confirmed by CISA at the time of writing. Treat the patch as time-sensitive anyway; reports often lag actual abuse.

Will a WAF or IDS rule fully mitigate CVE-2026-0967?

No. Network-layer filters can reduce noise and slow opportunistic scanners, but they will not stop a determined attacker. The vendor patch is the only durable fix.

How long should I plan for the upgrade?

Typical vendor-documented upgrade windows for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 run from a few minutes to under an hour depending on cluster size. Test in a staging environment first and follow the vendor's documented HA upgrade order.

References


*This guide was assembled from the official vendor advisory, the NVD record, and the CISA KEV catalog entry on 2026-05-25. Always confirm against the vendor advisory before applying changes in production.*