Evidence-led vulnerability intelligence · 2026-10-31 02:46 IST

CVE-2026-117666

Improper Validation of Certificate with Host Mismatch vulnerability in deadtrickster ssl_verify_fun allows an adversary in the middle to impersonate a TLS peer via a certificate that carries a partial-label wildcard. try_match_wildcard/4 in src/ssl_verify_hostname.erl anchors only the text before and after the * of an identifier such as f*.example.net, so the wildcard also consumes dots and the certificate is accepted for f.evil.example.net. RFC 6125 confines a wildcard to the left-most label. The same matcher lets *.168.1.1 match the IP literal 192.168.1.1. Whole-label wildcards are matched correctly. Erlang/OTP 20.0 and later check the hostname in ssl before a user verify_fun sees valid_peer, so a client that keeps server_name_indication set rejects the mismatch regardless. Exposed are clients that disable SNI, servers that verify client certificate hostnames with this library, and direct callers of verify_cert_hostname/2. This issue affects ssl_verify_fun: from 1.0.1 before 1.1.8.

CRITICAL · 9.1

Executive briefing

The source record describes: Improper Validation of Certificate with Host Mismatch vulnerability in deadtrickster ssl_verify_fun allows an adversary in the middle to impersonate a TLS peer via a certificate that carries a partial-label wildcard. try_match_wildcard/4 in src/ssl_verify_hostname.erl anchors only the text before and after the * of an identifier such as f*.example.net, so the wildcard also consumes dots and the certificate is accepted for f.evil.example.net. RFC 6125 confines a wildcard to the left-most label. The same matcher lets *.168.1.1 match the IP literal 192.168.1.1. Whole-label wildcards are matched correctly. Erlang/OTP 20.0 and later check the hostname in ssl before a user verify_fun sees valid_peer, so a client that keeps server_name_indication set rejects the mismatch regardless. Exposed are clients that disable SNI, servers that verify client certificate hostnames with this library, and direct callers of verify_cert_hostname/2. This issue affects ssl_verify_fun: from 1.0.1 before 1.1.8. The practical risk depends on whether an affected product/version is present, reachable and configured in an exploitable way. Review the affected-product evidence and linked vendor advisories before assigning exposure status.

Assessment: Potential exposure only — validate the installed product, exact version, configuration and vendor applicability before treating an asset as confirmed vulnerable.

Evidence confidence: Limited Evidence-derived, not an exploitability verdict

Severity & attack characteristics

9.1 / 10 · 4.0

CVSS vector:
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

Attack vectorN

Attack complexityH

Attack requirementsP

Privileges requiredN

User interactionN

ScopeX

Technical explanation & impact

The technical mechanism is not expanded beyond the source description unless a referenced advisory supplies additional evidence. Read the linked vendor/CERT advisories for root-cause detail.

Potential impact must be interpreted from the published CVSS impact metrics and the affected component. A CVSS impact score is not proof that a particular asset is exploitable.

Weakness classification

CWE-297

Affected products and versions

NVD has not supplied machine-readable vulnerable CPE product/version entries for this CVE. This is an information gap, not proof that no products are affected. Check the vendor advisory references below.

Remediation & validation

Identify exposure by comparing the affected product and version ranges with your asset inventory, SBOM and externally exposed services.
Review the linked vendor security advisory or patch notes. Upgrade to a vendor-confirmed fixed release; do not infer a fixed version from the CVE description.
Until patched, consider restricting network access or disabling the affected feature where operationally safe. These are temporary controls, not a substitute for a vendor fix.
Validate the remediation with a version check and vulnerability rescan, then retain change evidence.

No fixed version is displayed unless it is explicitly established by a vendor advisory. Follow the vendor's release notes for exact product and branch applicability.

Vendor advisories, patches & exploit references

https://cna.erlef.org/cves/CVE-2026-117666.html REFERENCE 6b3ad84c-e1a6-4bf7-a703-f496b71e49db
https://github.com/deadtrickster/ssl_verify_fun.erl/commit/a49ca56923356c7a3981692b23c42ef32c2990e0 VENDOR 6b3ad84c-e1a6-4bf7-a703-f496b71e49db
https://github.com/deadtrickster/ssl_verify_fun.erl/commit/ca34031299cd2e0c98794c0da4ba556b94e39aad VENDOR 6b3ad84c-e1a6-4bf7-a703-f496b71e49db
https://github.com/deadtrickster/ssl_verify_fun.erl/pull/33 VENDOR 6b3ad84c-e1a6-4bf7-a703-f496b71e49db
https://github.com/deadtrickster/ssl_verify_fun.erl/security/advisories/GHSA-7gw2-hphm-c5px VENDOR 6b3ad84c-e1a6-4bf7-a703-f496b71e49db
https://osv.dev/vulnerability/EEF-CVE-2026-117666 REFERENCE 6b3ad84c-e1a6-4bf7-a703-f496b71e49db

Information gaps & confidence notes

These gaps indicate missing source data. CVE Watch does not fill them with guessed product, exploit or patch details.

NVD does not currently provide machine-readable vulnerable CPE product/version entries for this record.

Last enrichment: 2026-11-06T16:33:13+00:00 · Source last modified: 2026-11-06T16:17:49.210

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