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CVE-2026-73253: Cesanta Mongoose Security Vulnerability (CVSS 9.1)

CVE-2026-73253 is a critical severity security vulnerability in Cesanta Mongoose with a CVSS score of 9.1. Apply the vendor fix and confirm exposure on internet facing and business critical assets first.

Last updated: Sep 29, 2026

Quick answer

Direct answer

CVE-2026-73253 is a critical severity security vulnerability in Cesanta Mongoose with a CVSS score of 9.1. Apply the vendor fix and confirm exposure on internet facing and business critical assets first.

Risk scores

CVSS base score
9.1CRITICAL
EPSS probability
0.34%
Higher than 26 percent of all CVEs
CISA KEV
Not listed
CVSS metricWhat it means
Attack vector (AV:N)Network: reachable remotely
Attack complexity (AC:L)Low complexity
Attack requirements (AT:P)Attack requirements present
Privileges required (PR:N)No privileges required
User interaction (UI:N)No user interaction
Confidentiality (VC:H)High confidentiality impact
Integrity (VI:H)High integrity impact
Availability (VA:N)No availability impact

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/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

About Cesanta Mongoose

CVE-2026-73253 affects Cesanta Mongoose, a product from Cesanta. Before acting, confirm where Cesanta Mongoose runs in your estate, who owns it and whether it is reachable from the internet, because exposure decides real risk more than the score alone.

What the flaw is

In plain terms: Mongoose is an embedded web server and network library. Prior to version 7.22, an on-path network attacker with a wildcard certificate for a parent domain can impersonate deeper subdomains to a client using the built-in TLS stack. The mg_tls_verify_cert_san() and mg_tls_verify_cert_cn() functions in src/tls_builtin.c call mg_match(), whose wildcard can cross DNS label boundaries, so a pattern such as *.example.com can match foo.bar.example.com. The resulting hostname verification bypass permits interception and modification of TLS traffic. This issue is fixed in version 7.22.

Based on its CVSS vector, the flaw can be reached over the network, needs no login, and needs no user interaction. Apply the vendor fix and confirm exposure on internet facing and business critical assets first.

Affected versions and timeline

FieldDetail
ProductCesanta Mongoose
Affected versionsMongoose before 7.22
PublishedAug 20, 2026
Last modifiedSep 29, 2026
Added to CISA KEVNot listed
Assigning CNAsecurity-advisories@github.com

How to detect it

  • Inventory every instance of Cesanta Mongoose and record the running version against the affected range above.
  • Check external attack surface scans for internet facing instances of the component.
  • Review logs on affected systems for unusual requests, errors or new processes around the vulnerable function.
  • Confirm with an authenticated vulnerability scan once your scanner has a check for this CVE.

How to fix it

  • Apply the fixed version of Cesanta Mongoose named in the vendor advisory.
  • If patching must wait, restrict network access to the affected service and put it behind authentication or a web application firewall rule.
  • Rescan after the change to prove the exposure is gone, then close the ticket.

CTEM action plan

CTEM stageWhat to do for this CVE
ScopeAdd every business service that depends on Cesanta Mongoose to the current CTEM cycle.
DiscoverFind all instances, including shadow and cloud deployments, and record versions and exposure.
PrioritizeRank using EPSS and CVSS together with asset exposure and business impact.
ValidateConfirm the flaw is reachable and exploitable in your environment and that compensating controls work.
MobilizeAssign the fix to the asset owner with a due date matched to the priority, then verify closure.

CWE References

Technical References

Frequently asked questions

CVE-2026-73253 is a critical severity security vulnerability in Cesanta Mongoose with a CVSS score of 9.1. Apply the vendor fix and confirm exposure on internet facing and business critical assets first.

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