CVE-2026-94453
IKEv2 Use-After-Free bug when using IKE-over-TCP
Description
Libreswan's pluto daemon has a use-after-free vulnerability when a client connecting using IKE over TCP closes the connection and another packet (retransmit or malicious) is received for the same tuple. IKE state is retained in memory after the client closes the connection, storing a pointer to iface_endpoint inside ike_sa.sa->st_iface_endpoint. Once this invalid pointer is used, the daemon crashes and restarts. This vulnerability can be triggered before the remote peer has authenticated itself. Continued exploitation can lead to a denial of service. Remote code execution could be possible. The IKE over TCP option is not enabled by default; only configurations that contain listen-tcp=yes are affected.
INFO
Published Date :
Oct. 13, 2026, 10:19 p.m.
Last Modified :
Oct. 13, 2026, 10:19 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
Yes !
Source :
d42dc95b-23f1-4e06-9076-20753a0fb0df
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | d42dc95b-23f1-4e06-9076-20753a0fb0df | ||||
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | MITRE-CVE |
Solution
- Disable IKE over TCP listener if not required.
- Update Libreswan to the latest patched version.
- Apply vendor security patches promptly.
- Review and harden network configurations.
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-2026-94453.
| URL | Resource |
|---|---|
| https://libreswan.org/security/CVE-2026-94453/ | |
| https://libreswan.org/security/CVE-2026-94453/CVE-2026-94453.txt |
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-94453 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-2026-94453
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-2026-94453 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-94453 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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New CVE Received by d42dc95b-23f1-4e06-9076-20753a0fb0df
Oct. 13, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description Libreswan's pluto daemon has a use-after-free vulnerability when a client connecting using IKE over TCP closes the connection and another packet (retransmit or malicious) is received for the same tuple. IKE state is retained in memory after the client closes the connection, storing a pointer to iface_endpoint inside ike_sa.sa->st_iface_endpoint. Once this invalid pointer is used, the daemon crashes and restarts. This vulnerability can be triggered before the remote peer has authenticated itself. Continued exploitation can lead to a denial of service. Remote code execution could be possible. The IKE over TCP option is not enabled by default; only configurations that contain listen-tcp=yes are affected. Added CVSS V3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Added CWE CWE-416 Added Affected New affected value received. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/94xxx/CVE-2026-94453.json">CVE-2026-94453</a> Added Reference https://libreswan.org/security/CVE-2026-94453/ Added Reference https://libreswan.org/security/CVE-2026-94453/CVE-2026-94453.txt