CVE-2026-73253
Mongoose: TLS Hostname Verification Bypass via Overly Permissive Wildcard Matching
Description
Mongoose is an embedded web server and network library. Prior to version 7.22, an on-path network attacker with a wildcard certificate for a parent domain can impersonate deeper subdomains to a client using the built-in TLS stack. The mg_tls_verify_cert_san() and mg_tls_verify_cert_cn() functions in src/tls_builtin.c call mg_match(), whose wildcard can cross DNS label boundaries, so a pattern such as *.example.com can match foo.bar.example.com. The resulting hostname verification bypass permits interception and modification of TLS traffic. This issue is fixed in version 7.22.
INFO
Published Date :
Aug. 20, 2026, 6:16 p.m.
Last Modified :
Aug. 20, 2026, 7:17 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 7.22 or later.
- Ensure TLS certificate verification is properly configured.
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-2026-73253.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-73253 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-2026-73253
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-2026-73253 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-73253 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.
-
CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
Aug. 20, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Reference https://github.com/cesanta/mongoose/security/advisories/GHSA-jp6g-796f-39vp Added SSVC {'id': 'CVE-2026-73253', 'role': 'CISA Coordinator', 'options': [{'exploitation': 'poc'}, {'automatable': 'no'}, {'technicalImpact': 'total'}], 'version': '2.0.3', 'timestamp': '2026-08-20T18:33:38.834878Z'} -
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': '< 7.22'}]}] Added Description Mongoose is an embedded web server and network library. Prior to version 7.22, an on-path network attacker with a wildcard certificate for a parent domain can impersonate deeper subdomains to a client using the built-in TLS stack. The mg_tls_verify_cert_san() and mg_tls_verify_cert_cn() functions in src/tls_builtin.c call mg_match(), whose wildcard can cross DNS label boundaries, so a pattern such as *.example.com can match foo.bar.example.com. The resulting hostname verification bypass permits interception and modification of TLS traffic. This issue is fixed in version 7.22. Added CVSS V4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/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/a9df523f76f43a38bd53b4232b9cfd4c16869e71 Added Reference https://github.com/cesanta/mongoose/pull/3611 Added Reference https://github.com/cesanta/mongoose/releases/tag/7.22 Added Reference https://github.com/cesanta/mongoose/security/advisories/GHSA-jp6g-796f-39vp