Server impersonation via host-key type mismatch
Published Jul 3, 2026 · Updated Jul 3, 2026
Improper SSH host-key validation in libcurl 7.69.0 through 8.20.0 allows man-in-the-middle attackers to impersonate SFTP or SCP servers. The libssh backend maps SSH_KNOWN_HOSTS_OTHER to CURLKHMATCH_MISSING instead of CURLKHMATCH_MISMATCH, so the callback can accept a changed key type as a new key. Exploitation requires an SCP or SFTP transfer using CURLOPT_SSH_KEYFUNCTION and CURLOPT_SSH_KNOWNHOSTS; the curl command-line tool and libssh2 builds are not affected.
Summary
What happened
Improper SSH host-key validation in libcurl 7.69.0 through 8.20.0 allows man-in-the-middle attackers to impersonate SFTP or SCP servers. The libssh backend maps SSH_KNOWN_HOSTS_OTHER to CURLKHMATCH_MISSING instead of CURLKHMATCH_MISMATCH, so the callback can accept a changed key type as a new key. Exploitation requires an SCP or SFTP transfer using CURLOPT_SSH_KEYFUNCTION and CURLOPT_SSH_KNOWNHOSTS; the curl command-line tool and libssh2 builds are not affected.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-9547
- Published
- Jul 3, 2026
- Updated
- Jul 3, 2026
- Vendor
- curl
- Product
- curl
- Classifications
- CWE-297, T1557
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jul 3, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jul 3, 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=7.69.0 <=7.69.0
- Affected versionversion=7.69.1 <=7.69.1
- Affected versionversion=7.70.0 <=7.70.0
- Affected versionversion=7.71.0 <=7.71.0
- Affected versionversion=7.71.1 <=7.71.1
- Affected versionversion=7.72.0 <=7.72.0
- Affected versionversion=7.73.0 <=7.73.0
- Affected versionversion=7.74.0 <=7.74.0
- Affected versionversion=7.75.0 <=7.75.0
- Affected versionversion=7.76.0 <=7.76.0
- Affected versionversion=7.76.1 <=7.76.1
- Affected versionversion=7.77.0 <=7.77.0
- Affected versionversion=7.78.0 <=7.78.0
- Affected versionversion=7.79.0 <=7.79.0
- Affected versionversion=7.79.1 <=7.79.1
- Affected versionversion=7.80.0 <=7.80.0
- Affected versionversion=7.81.0 <=7.81.0
- Affected versionversion=7.82.0 <=7.82.0
- Affected versionversion=7.83.0 <=7.83.0
- Affected versionversion=7.83.1 <=7.83.1
- Affected versionversion=7.84.0 <=7.84.0
- Affected versionversion=7.85.0 <=7.85.0
- Affected versionversion=7.86.0 <=7.86.0
- Affected versionversion=7.87.0 <=7.87.0
- Affected versionversion=7.88.0 <=7.88.0
- Affected versionversion=7.88.1 <=7.88.1
- Affected versionversion=8.0.0 <=8.0.0
- Affected versionversion=8.0.1 <=8.0.1
- Affected versionversion=8.10.0 <=8.10.0
- Affected versionversion=8.10.1 <=8.10.1
- Affected versionversion=8.1.0 <=8.1.0
- Affected versionversion=8.11.0 <=8.11.0
- Affected versionversion=8.11.1 <=8.11.1
- Affected versionversion=8.1.1 <=8.1.1
- Affected versionversion=8.12.0 <=8.12.0
- Affected versionversion=8.12.1 <=8.12.1
- Affected versionversion=8.1.2 <=8.1.2
- Affected versionversion=8.13.0 <=8.13.0
- Affected versionversion=8.14.0 <=8.14.0
- Affected versionversion=8.14.1 <=8.14.1
- Affected versionversion=8.15.0 <=8.15.0
- Affected versionversion=8.16.0 <=8.16.0
- Affected versionversion=8.17.0 <=8.17.0
- Affected versionversion=8.18.0 <=8.18.0
- Affected versionversion=8.19.0 <=8.19.0
- Affected versionversion=8.20.0 <=8.20.0
- Affected versionversion=8.2.0 <=8.2.0
- Affected versionversion=8.2.1 <=8.2.1
- Affected versionversion=8.3.0 <=8.3.0
- Affected versionversion=8.4.0 <=8.4.0
- Affected versionversion=8.5.0 <=8.5.0
- Affected versionversion=8.6.0 <=8.6.0
- Affected versionversion=8.7.0 <=8.7.0
- Affected versionversion=8.7.1 <=8.7.1
- Affected versionversion=8.8.0 <=8.8.0
- Affected versionversion=8.9.0 <=8.9.0
- Affected versionversion=8.9.1 <=8.9.1
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- HackerOne report 3751712proof of concept · unverified
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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