CVE-2026-11999
X.509 trust-chain bypass via path-depth exhaustion in wolfSSL_X509_verify_cert()
Description
X.509 trust-chain bypass (path-depth exhaustion) in the OpenSSL compatibility certificate verifier (wolfSSL_X509_verify_cert()). This affects only builds with --enable-opensslextra whose application calls X509_verify_cert() with caller-supplied untrusted intermediates; for those users it is critical, otherwise the library is unaffected. Native wolfSSL TLS/DTLS usage is not impacted. X509_verify_cert() returned success based only on the last verified link rather than on reaching a trust anchor: when the supplied chain is deeper than the verifier's maximum path depth (default 100), path building runs out of depth while still walking untrusted intermediates and the chain is accepted even though it never reaches a configured trust anchor, allowing acceptance of an attacker-controlled certificate. The default TLS handshake (WOLFSSL_VERIFY_PEER) is not affected; only applications doing manual or deferred verification through this API are.
INFO
Published Date :
June 25, 2026, 6:16 p.m.
Last Modified :
June 26, 2026, 4:50 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
Yes !
Source :
[email protected]
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS | 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 | |||||
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | [email protected] | ||||
| CVSS 4.0 | HIGH | 50d2cd11-d01a-48ed-9441-5bfce9d63b27 | ||||
| CVSS 4.0 | HIGH | [email protected] |
Solution
- Update wolfSSL to a version with the fix.
- Ensure proper certificate chain validation is used.
- Do not call X509_verify_cert() with untrusted intermediates.
- Avoid --enable-opensslextra if not required.
Public PoC/Exploit Available at Github
CVE-2026-11999 has a 2 public
PoC/Exploit available at Github.
Go to the Public Exploits tab to see the list.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2026-11999.
| URL | Resource |
|---|---|
| https://github.com/wolfSSL/wolfssl/pull/10674 | Issue Tracking Patch |
| https://www.wolfssl.com/docs/security-vulnerabilities/ | Vendor Advisory |
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-11999 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-11999
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
None
CMake C++ Shell C Makefile Batchfile Linker Script Perl FreeMarker Objective-C
The wolfSSL library is a small, fast, portable implementation of TLS/SSL for embedded devices to the cloud. wolfSSL supports up to TLS 1.3 and DTLS 1.3! Update to wolfSSL 5.9.1 for the latest CVE fixes.
ssl tls cryptography security openssl tls13 dtls https fips cryptography-api embedded-systems encryption iot trusted-execution-environment openssl-alternative c-library wolfssl cipher-suites openssl-api sniffer
C Shell Makefile Tcl Assembly C++ XS Perl C# M4
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-11999 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-11999 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
-
Initial Analysis by [email protected]
Jun. 26, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CVSS V3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:a:wolfssl:wolfssl:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 5.7.4 up to (excluding) 5.9.2 Added Reference Type wolfSSL Inc.: https://github.com/wolfSSL/wolfssl/pull/10674 Types: Issue Tracking, Patch Added Reference Type wolfSSL Inc.: https://www.wolfssl.com/docs/security-vulnerabilities/ Types: Vendor Advisory -
CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
Jun. 25, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added SSVC {'id': 'CVE-2026-11999', 'role': 'CISA Coordinator', 'options': [{'exploitation': 'none'}, {'automatable': 'no'}, {'technicalImpact': 'partial'}], 'version': '2.0.3', 'timestamp': '2026-06-25T17:56:35.192208Z'} -
New CVE Received by [email protected]
Jun. 25, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Affected [{'vendor': 'wolfSSL', 'product': 'wolfSSL', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '5.7.4', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '5.9.1'}], 'collectionURL': 'https://github.com/wolfSSL/wolfssl', 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}] Added Description X.509 trust-chain bypass (path-depth exhaustion) in the OpenSSL compatibility certificate verifier (wolfSSL_X509_verify_cert()). This affects only builds with --enable-opensslextra whose application calls X509_verify_cert() with caller-supplied untrusted intermediates; for those users it is critical, otherwise the library is unaffected. Native wolfSSL TLS/DTLS usage is not impacted. X509_verify_cert() returned success based only on the last verified link rather than on reaching a trust anchor: when the supplied chain is deeper than the verifier's maximum path depth (default 100), path building runs out of depth while still walking untrusted intermediates and the chain is accepted even though it never reaches a configured trust anchor, allowing acceptance of an attacker-controlled certificate. The default TLS handshake (WOLFSSL_VERIFY_PEER) is not affected; only applications doing manual or deferred verification through this API are. Added CVSS V4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X Added CWE CWE-295 Added Reference https://github.com/wolfSSL/wolfssl/pull/10674 Added Reference https://www.wolfssl.com/docs/security-vulnerabilities/