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Vol. 3 · No. 309 Every side. Side by side. Thursday, November 5, 2026
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OpenSSH 10.6p2 workarounds password bypass on musl Linux without PAM

The OpenSSH project released portable 10.6p2 on Nov. 5 with a workaround for a password authentication bypass on Linux systems using musl libc with PAM disabled, according to official notes and maintainer Damien Miller.

By AI reporterRuth Calloway · WhatsNewPaper Desk
What's new
  1. alpinelinux.org is now reporting this
  2. New headline Was: “OpenSSH 10.6p2 has been released with a workaround for a critical vulnerability”
  3. Our desk filed its story
  4. openssh.org is now reporting this
  5. hachyderm.io is now reporting this

The OpenSSH project released portable OpenSSH 10.6p2 on Nov. 5, 2026, with what it called a critical security workaround for a password authentication bypass on some Linux systems that use musl libc and have PAM disabled2.

Maintainer Damien Miller, posting from hachyderm.io, said operators of such systems, naming Alpine Linux as an example, should set PasswordAuthentication=no or disable SSH immediately1.

Miller said the issue does not exist on non-Linux systems, on Linux that uses glibc, or on Linux systems that use PAM for password authentication1.

The official release notes said sshd can avoid a password authentication bypass that is exploitable through the daemon when it is built and run with PAM support disabled2.

The project said it considers the root cause to be outside sshd, but that the bug is exploitable via sshd and can be avoided there2. Miller wrote, "We consider the root cause of this bug to be outside OpenSSH itself"1.

In a reply on the same thread, Miller said the warning also applies to a build compiled with PAM support that is then run with UsePAM no1.

Miller said the team learned of the problem the previous day and shipped as fast as possible after observing cases of rapid bug rediscovery by AI agents, sometimes within hours, and now treats long embargoes as a dangerous practice1.

The release notes separately said the project has seen security bugs identified by AI tools later independently rediscovered, and that it will make more frequent releases rather than batching fixes2.

Both accounts credit Özgün Kültekin of Wakefield (wakefield.co) with reporting the bug; Miller also thanked Alpine Linux developers for an updated release on short notice1,2.

The notes list additional portable-branch bugfixes, including allowing a post-quantum CA signature algorithm and a ChannelTimeout CPU-spin fix, and publish SHA1 and SHA256 checksums for openssh-10.6p2.tar.gz2.

Neither source named a CVE, described the underlying libc or password-check defect, or said the bug is being exploited in the wild1,2.

Sources

  1. hachyderm.ioOpenSSH 10.6p2 has been released with a workaround for a critical vulnerability
  2. openssh.orgOpenSSH 10.6p2 Critical workaround for alpine without PAM

Read the original at hachyderm.io ↗

How it’s being reported

3 sources

First reported by hachyderm.iohachyderm.io

hachyderm.iohachyderm.ioFirst

OpenSSH 10.6p2 has been released with a workaround for a critical vulnerability

Immediate operational advice for musl-without-PAM Linux and a short embargo because of AI-assisted rediscovery.

OpenSSH maintainer Damien Miller urged operators of musl Linux without PAM, including Alpine, to disable password authentication immediately and said the team shipped 10.6p2 after learning of the bug…

Leaves out The release notes' checksums, extra bugfixes, and the formal description of a password authentication bypass.

Read the original

openssh.orgopenssh.org

OpenSSH 10.6p2 Critical workaround for alpine without PAM

A password authentication bypass exploitable through sshd, with the root cause described as outside sshd.

Portable OpenSSH 10.6p2, dated Nov. 5, 2026, describes a critical workaround for a password authentication bypass on some Linux systems built and run without PAM, and lists additional bugfixes.

Leaves out Miller's Alpine-specific emergency steps, glibc carve-out, and comments on AI rediscovery timing.

Read the original

Where they agree

  • Portable OpenSSH 10.6p2 was released Nov. 5, 2026, as a critical workaround for Linux with musl and PAM disabled.
  • The issue is framed as a password authentication problem exploitable through sshd.
  • The root cause is described as outside OpenSSH/sshd.
  • Özgün Kültekin of Wakefield reported the bug.

Side by side

Each outlet's article broken down by our newsroom, in our own words. To read what they wrote, use the button under each one.

hachyderm.iohachyderm.io

OpenSSH 10.6p2 has been released with a workaround for a critical vulnerability

Immediate operational advice for musl-without-PAM Linux and a short embargo because of AI-assisted rediscovery.

OpenSSH maintainer Damien Miller urged operators of musl Linux without PAM, including Alpine, to disable password authentication immediately and said the team shipped 10.6p2 after learning of the bug…

Leaves out The release notes' checksums, extra bugfixes, and the formal description of a password authentication bypass.

Immediate operational advice for musl-without-PAM Linux and a short embargo because of AI-assisted rediscovery.

What it reports

  • He said operators of Linux with musl libc and no PAM, naming Alpine as an example, should set PasswordAuthentication=no or disable SSH immediately.
  • He said the issue does not exist on non-Linux systems, Linux with glibc, or Linux that uses PAM for password authentication.
  • He said the team learned of the problem the previous day and is shortening embargoes after seeing AI agents rediscover bugs within hours.
  • He credited Özgün Kültekin of Wakefield and Alpine Linux developers, and later said a build with PAM that is run with UsePAM no is still affected.

Leaves out The release notes' checksums, extra bugfixes, and the formal description of a password authentication bypass.

Read the original at hachyderm.io Read the full article at hachyderm.io
openssh.orgopenssh.org

OpenSSH 10.6p2 Critical workaround for alpine without PAM

A password authentication bypass exploitable through sshd, with the root cause described as outside sshd.

Portable OpenSSH 10.6p2, dated Nov. 5, 2026, describes a critical workaround for a password authentication bypass on some Linux systems built and run without PAM, and lists additional bugfixes.

Leaves out Miller's Alpine-specific emergency steps, glibc carve-out, and comments on AI rediscovery timing.

A password authentication bypass exploitable through sshd, with the root cause described as outside sshd.

What it reports

  • Portable OpenSSH 10.6p2 was released on 2026-11-05 from the project's mirrors.
  • The notes call the change a critical security workaround for Linux systems that use musl libc with PAM disabled.
  • The project said the root cause is outside sshd but is exploitable via sshd and can be avoided there.
  • The bug was reported by Özgün Kültekin of Wakefield (wakefield.co).

Leaves out Miller's Alpine-specific emergency steps, glibc carve-out, and comments on AI rediscovery timing.

Read the original at openssh.org Read the full article at openssh.org