Vulnerability Database

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CVE-2026-117666 — deadtrickster / ssl_verify_fun

Improper Validation of Certificate with Host Mismatch

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.

  • Published: Oct 30, 2026
  • Updated: Nov 8, 2026
  • CVE: CVE-2026-117666
  • Severity: Critical
  • Exploit:
  • CISA KEV:

No technical information available.

CWEs:

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A security vulnerability is a weakness in software, hardware, or configuration that can be exploited to compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability. Many vulnerabilities are tracked as CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures), which provide a standardized identifier so teams can coordinate patching, mitigation, and risk assessment across tools and vendors.

CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) estimates technical severity, but it doesn't automatically equal business risk. Prioritize using context like internet exposure, affected asset criticality, known exploitation (proof-of-concept or in-the-wild), and whether compensating controls exist. A "Medium" CVSS on an exposed, production system can be more urgent than a "Critical" on an isolated, non-production host.

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