CVE-2026-73251
Mongoose Built-in TLS: CA-bundle certificate chain accepted without any signature verification
Description
Mongoose is an embedded web server and network library. Prior to 7.23, a network attacker can impersonate a TLS server to a Mongoose client configured with a multi-certificate CA bundle. In src/tls_builtin.c, the mg_tls_init() function stores the bundle in tls->ca_bundle_der while tls->ca_der.len remains zero, and mg_tls_recv_cert() uses tls_bundle_find() to accept a Common Name match without calling mg_tls_verify_cert_signature(). A forged self-signed certificate can therefore satisfy hostname and CertificateVerify checks and enable interception, credential disclosure, traffic modification, and malicious responses. This issue is fixed in version 7.23.
INFO
Published Date :
Aug. 20, 2026, 6:16 p.m.
Last Modified :
Aug. 20, 2026, 8:17 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 4.0 | CRITICAL | [email protected] |
Solution
- Update Mongoose to version 7.23.
- Ensure TLS configurations use proper certificate validation.
- Review client trust store configurations for CA bundles.
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-2026-73251.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-73251 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-2026-73251
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).
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-73251 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-73251 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.
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CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
Aug. 20, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added SSVC {'id': 'CVE-2026-73251', 'role': 'CISA Coordinator', 'options': [{'exploitation': 'none'}, {'automatable': 'yes'}, {'technicalImpact': 'total'}], 'version': '2.0.3', 'timestamp': '2026-08-20T19:50:25.364486Z'} -
New CVE Received by [email protected]
Aug. 20, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Affected [{'vendor': 'cesanta', 'product': 'mongoose', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '< 7.23'}]}] Added Description Mongoose is an embedded web server and network library. Prior to 7.23, a network attacker can impersonate a TLS server to a Mongoose client configured with a multi-certificate CA bundle. In src/tls_builtin.c, the mg_tls_init() function stores the bundle in tls->ca_bundle_der while tls->ca_der.len remains zero, and mg_tls_recv_cert() uses tls_bundle_find() to accept a Common Name match without calling mg_tls_verify_cert_signature(). A forged self-signed certificate can therefore satisfy hostname and CertificateVerify checks and enable interception, credential disclosure, traffic modification, and malicious responses. This issue is fixed in version 7.23. Added CVSS V4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/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/cesanta/mongoose/commit/2988bc9df3a5efc9539471cb7455975fa25df483 Added Reference https://github.com/cesanta/mongoose/releases/tag/7.23 Added Reference https://github.com/cesanta/mongoose/security/advisories/GHSA-qj6j-2692-v2r8 Added Reference https://github.com/cesanta/mongoose/security/advisories/GHSA-qj6j-2692-v2r8