OCSP designated-responder authorization bypass via missing signature verification
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- Passive
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Attack requirements
- Present
- Impact type
- Spoofing
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · None
- Fix status
- No fix listed
Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-295.
Summary
Improper Certificate Validation vulnerability in Erlang OTP public_key (pubkey_ocsp module) allows OCSP designated-responder authorization bypass via missing signature verification. The OCSP response validation in public_key:pkix_ocsp_validate/5 does not verify that a CA-designated responder certificate was cryptographically signed by the issuing CA. Instead, it only checks that the responder certificate's issuer name matches the CA's subject name and that the certificate has the OCSPSigning extended key usage. An attacker who can intercept or control OCSP responses can create a self-signed certificate with a matching issuer name and the OCSPSigning EKU, and use it to forge OCSP responses that mark revoked certificates as valid. This affects SSL/TLS clients using OCSP stapling, which may accept connections to servers with revoked certificates, potentially transmitting sensitive data to compromised servers. Applications using the public_key:pkix_ocsp_validate/5 API directly are also affected, with impact depending on usage context. This vulnerability is associated with program files lib/public_key/src/pubkey_ocsp.erl and program routines pubkey_ocsp:is_authorized_responder/3. This issue affects OTP from OTP 27.0 before OTP 28.4.2 and OTP 27.3.4.10, corresponding to public_key from 1.16 before 1.20.3 and 1.17.1.2, and ssl from 11.2 before 11.5.4 and 11.2.12.7.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Total
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erlang | OTP | 1.16 and later | — | No fix listed | CNA |
| Erlang | OTP | 11.2 and later | — | No fix listed | CNA |
| Erlang | OTP | 27.0 and later | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- OTP VendorErlang Affected 1.16 and later Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
- OTP VendorErlang Affected 11.2 and later Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
- OTP VendorErlang Affected 27.0 and later Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 3
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:erlang:erlang\/otp:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 27.0 to before 27.3.4.10; 28.0 to before 28.4.2 | Vulnerable | Erlang |
| cpe:2.3:a:erlang:erlang\/public_key:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 1.16 to before 1.17.1.2; 1.18 to before 1.20.3 | Vulnerable | Erlang |
| cpe:2.3:a:erlang:erlang\/ssl:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 11.2 to before 11.2.12.7; after 11.3, before 11.5.4 | Vulnerable | Erlang |
- cpe:2.3:a:erlang:erlang\/otp:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 27.0 to before 27.3.4.10; 28.0 to before 28.4.2 Vulnerable ·Erlang
- cpe:2.3:a:erlang:erlang\/public_key:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 1.16 to before 1.17.1.2; 1.18 to before 1.20.3 Vulnerable ·Erlang
- cpe:2.3:a:erlang:erlang\/ssl:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 11.2 to before 11.2.12.7; after 11.3, before 11.5.4 Vulnerable ·Erlang
Remediation
No fixed version listed by the sources yet.
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Important. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
Not affected: 3 products
- Red Hat OpenStack Platform 16.2
- Red Hat OpenStack Platform 17.1
- Red Hat OpenStack Platform 18.0
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-32144
References
Patch 2
More Erlang/otp vulnerabilities
- TI-2025-23504 Erlang/OTP SSH Vulnerable to Pre-Authentication RCE KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 10.0
- TI-2023-26623 The SSH transport protocol with certain OpenSSH extensions, found in OpenSSH before 9.6… CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 5.9
- TI-2017-14604 The Erlang otp TLS server answers with different TLS alerts to different error types in… CVSS 3.0MEDIUM 5.9
- TI-2026-36669 Stack buffer overflow in SCTP error cause parsing in inet_drv allows remote VM crash CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.8
- TI-2022-17230 In Erlang/OTP before 23.3.4.15, 24.x before 24.3.4.2, and 25.x before 25.0.2, there is a… CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2016-08327 An issue was discovered in Erlang/OTP 18.x. CVSS 3.0CRITICAL 9.8
Sources
- CVE-2026-32144 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-32144 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- CVE-2026-32144 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences