A local attacker with access to the Name Service Switch responder UNIX socket can send a specially crafted request that contains an undersized packet header. The request triggers an integer underflow during packet parsing, leading to an out‑of‑bounds memory read. This bug causes the responder process to crash, resulting in a denial of service. The weakness is identified as an unsafe assumption of input bounds and is classified under CWE‑125.

The vulnerability affects Red Hat Enterprise Linux versions 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10, as well as Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4. Specific version ranges are not listed in the data, so all publicly available releases of these products are considered vulnerable until a patch is released.

The CVSS score of 5.5 indicates a moderate impact. The EPSS score is not available, and the vulnerability is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog. The attack vector is local; an attacker must have access to the system and the ability to communicate with the NSS responder socket. If achieved, the attacker can force service restarts, potentially disrupting authentication services for users connected to the system. The exploit requires no network exposure, so environmental defenses such as firewalls provide limited protection.