TLS authentication bypass via Unicode dot mismatch
Published Jun 26, 2026 · Updated Jun 26, 2026
TLS authentication bypass in Node.js 22 before 22.23.0, 24 before 24.17.0, and 26 before 26.3.1 allows remote attackers to expose client data. The tls.checkServerIdentity function splits an unnormalized Unicode-dot hostname differently from the resolver, so certificate wildcard depth is evaluated against the wrong label hierarchy. Exploitation requires control of a TLS hostname and a certificate valid for its attacker-controlled suffix, allowing confidential data to reach the wrong peer.
Summary
What happened
TLS authentication bypass in Node.js 22 before 22.23.0, 24 before 24.17.0, and 26 before 26.3.1 allows remote attackers to expose client data. The tls.checkServerIdentity function splits an unnormalized Unicode-dot hostname differently from the resolver, so certificate wildcard depth is evaluated against the wrong label hierarchy. Exploitation requires control of a TLS hostname and a certificate valid for its attacker-controlled suffix, allowing confidential data to reach the wrong peer.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-48618
- Published
- Jun 26, 2026
- Updated
- Jun 26, 2026
- Vendor
- Node.js
- Product
- Node.js
- Classifications
- CWE-289, CWE-176, CAPEC-71
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- Unavailable
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jun 26, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jun 26, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=22.22.3 <=22.22.3
- Affected versionversion=24.16.0 <=24.16.0
- Affected versionversion=26.3.0 <=26.3.0
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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