CVE-2026-78130Network attack vector

IKE daemon crash via missing issuerName check

Published Sep 11, 2026 · Updated Sep 11, 2026

NULL pointer dereference in strongSwan 4.2.0 through 6.0.7 allows attackers to crash the IKE daemon via a crafted attribute certificate. During verification, issued_by() calls issuerName->equals() without checking whether the optional issuerName field was parsed; has_issuer() similarly calls matches(). Exposure requires both the x509 and acert plugins to be loaded, and successful exploitation interrupts the VPN service without enabling code execution.

CVSS severityUnavailable
Unscored
EPSS probability0.32%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

NULL pointer dereference in strongSwan 4.2.0 through 6.0.7 allows attackers to crash the IKE daemon via a crafted attribute certificate. During verification, issued_by() calls issuerName->equals() without checking whether the optional issuerName field was parsed; has_issuer() similarly calls matches(). Exposure requires both the x509 and acert plugins to be loaded, and successful exploitation interrupts the VPN service without enabling code execution.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-78130
Published
Sep 11, 2026
Updated
Sep 11, 2026
Vendor
strongSwan
Product
strongSwan
Classifications
T1499.004
Attack vector
network
Privileges
Unavailable

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Sep 11, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Sep 11, 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.

  1. Affected versionversion=4.2.0 <6.1.0

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesUnavailable in this record.

What is affected?

strongSwan · strongSwanversion=4.2.0 <6.1.0

Published CVSS scores

No CVSS assessment is available in this record.

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

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.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
PrivilegesUnavailable
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

T1499.004Application or System Exploitation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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