CVE-2026-13097: A privilege escalation flaw was found in FreeIPA

This month

HIGH 8.7WATCHLISTMITIGATEDOWNGRADE

CVE-2026-13097 is a high-severity flaw (CVSS 8.7) affecting enterprise linux, freeipa. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

A privilege escalation flaw was found in FreeIPA. The uniqueness constraint enforced on Kerberos principal name attributes in the 389-ds directory server does not properly account for equivalent representations of the same principal name, allowing a user with sufficient LDAP write privileges to create a service principal that impersonates an existing privileged one. This can lead to unauthorized acquisition of Kerberos service tickets for sensiti

Why this priority

High severity
On your watchlist

No fix is published yet: follow the downgrade or mitigation steps.

Risk facts

CVSS score	8.7 (High)
Attack vector	Network (remote)
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	High
User interaction	None
EPSS exploit chance	0.6% (top 51%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-706
Published	2026-08-20
Last modified	2026-10-26

Publisher (CNA): Red Hat, Inc. · Vendor: freeipa · redhat

Last updated 2026-10-26 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2026-08-20 11:16 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-10-26 14:16 UTCUpdated Record last modified

redhat enterprise linux MITIGATE

Affected: 7.0 · 8.0 · 9.0 · 10.0

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 7.0

Check your OS release

cat /etc/os-release; uname -r

Debian / Ubuntu

sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade

RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

Windows

Install the latest cumulative update from Windows Update

If no patch exists yet

OS downgrades are not safe. Apply the vendor mitigation from the advisory and restrict exposure.

freeipa freeipa DOWNGRADE

Affected: 4.12.2

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 4.12.2

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy freeipa || rpm -q freeipa || freeipa --version

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 4.12.2 (Debian / Ubuntu)

apt-cache madison freeipa sudo apt install freeipa=<VERSION_BEFORE_4.12.2> sudo apt-mark hold freeipa

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

dnf --showduplicates list freeipa sudo dnf downgrade freeipa-<VERSION_BEFORE_4.12.2> sudo dnf versionlock add freeipa

Downgrade risk

Downgrading can break dependent software and may reopen older bugs. Read the distro advisory first and test on a non-production host.

After downgrade

Restart the service, and keep the package held until a fixed release ships.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2026-13097?

enterprise linux: mitigate or apply the listed mitigation; freeipa: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2026-13097 being exploited?

CVE-2026-13097 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2026-13097 affect?

CVE-2026-13097 affects enterprise linux, freeipa. Severity is high (CVSS 8.7). A privilege escalation flaw was found in FreeIPA. The uniqueness constraint enforced on Kerberos principal name attributes in the 389-ds directory server does not properly account for equivalent representations of the same principal name, a

How urgent is CVE-2026-13097?

Priority 48/100. High severity; On your watchlist

Related CVEs

CVE-2026-73198 HIGH 7.5 MITIGATE UPGRADE A flaw was found in FreeIPA
CVE-2026-73197 HIGH 7.5 MITIGATE UPGRADE A flaw was found in FreeIPA
CVE-2026-19550 HIGH 8.2 MITIGATE UPGRADE A flaw was found in FreeIPA
CVE-2026-11861 CRITICAL 9.6 UPGRADE MITIGATE A flaw was found in FreeIPA
CVE-2026-42009 HIGH 7.5 MITIGATE MITIGATE A flaw was found in gnutls

References

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