CVE-2026-32144 — OCSP designated-responder authorization bypass via missing signature verification
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.
Who exploits it and how urgent it is
A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.
How the score was calculated
- EPSS 0.3% (30-day exploitation probability)+3
- Technical severity (high)+6
The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).
Triage
Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.
CISA SSVC assessment CISA
Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.
Remediation
Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.
- Documented mitigation — cna.erlef.org (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
- Documented patch — github.com (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
- Documented patch — github.com (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
- Documented mitigation — github.com (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
First 24 hours
Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.
- Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Erlang Erlang/otp, Erlang Erlang/public Key, Erlang Erlang/ssl).
- The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
- Apply the fixed version or the patch documented under Remediation.
- Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (cryptography), errors and authentication anomalies.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erlang | Erlang/otp | ≥ 27.0 and < 27.3.4.10≥ 28.0 and < 28.4.2 | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| Erlang | Erlang/otp | ≥ 1.16≥ 11.2≥ 27.0≥ 601a012837ea0a5c8095bf24223132824177124d | Vulnerable | CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| Erlang | Erlang/public Key | ≥ 1.16 and < 1.17.1.2≥ 1.18 and < 1.20.3 | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| Erlang | Erlang/ssl | ≥ 11.2 and < 11.2.12.7> 11.3 and < 11.5.4 | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
Attack characteristics
The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.
Every base score collected
Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.
| Score | Version | Severity | Expl. | Impact | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.6 | CVSS 4.0 | High | — | — | 6b3ad84c-e1a6-4bf7-a703-f496b71e49db via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 7.6 | CVSS 4.0 | High | — | — | EEF via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| 7.4 | CVSS 3.1 | High | 2.2 | 5.2 | nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 7.4 | CVSS 3.1 | High | 2.2 | 5.2 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N (score shown at the top: nvd@nist.gov) Weakness MITRE
Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.
EPSS over time FIRST
Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 2 reading(s) · max 0.32%
Detection
Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.
- Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
- Check TLS negotiations and unexpected certificates in the component’s traffic.
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- Affected products added · erlang/otp
- SSVC assessment updated
- Record published
- Fix documented
- CVSS changed · 7.4
- Source status changed · → Modified
- Record created in this database
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
References
9 on the record
- cna.erlef.org/cves/CVE-2026-32144.html
- www.erlang.org/doc/system/versions.html
- github.com/erlang/otp/commit/49033a6d93a5be0ee0dce04e1fb8b4ae7de1e0c0
- github.com/erlang/otp/commit/ac7ff528be857c5d35eb29c7f24106e3a16d4891
- github.com/erlang/otp/security/advisories/GHSA-gxrm-pf64-99xm
- osv.dev/vulnerability/EEF-CVE-2026-32144
- security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-32144.json
- bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi
- access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-32144
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- Medium CVE-2026-96596 erl_tar:extract/2 loops forever on a GNU sparse member with a trailing hole 1d
- High CVE-2026-94200 TLS 1.3 client ticket store crashed by NewSessionTicket with empty early_data extension in ssl 1d
- Medium CVE-2026-105236 TLS 1.2 session resumption in ssl crosses SNI virtual-host client-certificate trust boundaries 1d
- High CVE-2026-59251 Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling in Erlang Erlang/otp Jul 27, 2026
- High CVE-2026-58227 Uncontrolled Recursion in Erlang Erlang/otp Jul 27, 2026
- High CVE-2026-55953 The Erlang/OTP ssl TLS 1.2 (and earlier) and DTLS client does not verify that the cipher… Jul 27, 2026
Not in any source we poll
Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.
- No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
- No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
- No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.
Answered from this record
Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.
What should defenders know first?
CVE-2026-32144 is "OCSP designated-responder authorization bypass via missing signature verification", rated High. It affects Erlang/otp (Erlang); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 7.4 describes technical severity. EPSS 0.32% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.
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