Server impersonation via CA-bundle trust bypass
Published Aug 20, 2026 · Updated Aug 20, 2026
Improper certificate validation in built-in TLS in Cesanta Mongoose before 7.23 allows network attackers to impersonate TLS servers via a forged certificate chain. In src/tls_builtin.c, mg_tls_init() stores multi-certificate CA bundles in tls->ca_bundle_der, but mg_tls_recv_cert() only finds a bundle entry whose subject Common Name matches the presented issuer Common Name and skips mg_tls_verify_cert_signature() for the topmost certificate. Only built-in-TLS client configurations that use a multi-certificate CA bundle are exposed, enabling man-in-the-middle interception, credential disclosure, traffic modification, and attacker-controlled responses.
Summary
What happened
Improper certificate validation in built-in TLS in Cesanta Mongoose before 7.23 allows network attackers to impersonate TLS servers via a forged certificate chain. In src/tls_builtin.c, mg_tls_init() stores multi-certificate CA bundles in tls->ca_bundle_der, but mg_tls_recv_cert() only finds a bundle entry whose subject Common Name matches the presented issuer Common Name and skips mg_tls_verify_cert_signature() for the topmost certificate. Only built-in-TLS client configurations that use a multi-certificate CA bundle are exposed, enabling man-in-the-middle interception, credential disclosure, traffic modification, and attacker-controlled responses.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-73251
- Published
- Aug 20, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 20, 2026
- Vendor
- Cesanta
- Product
- Mongoose
- Classifications
- CWE-295, T1557
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 20, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 20, 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?
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- Affected versionversion=< 7.23
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
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Public exploit references
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Technologies
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Your stack
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