CVE Intelligence
Low Integrity exploit reference

CVE-2026-6986 — Cesanta Mongoose GCM Authentication Tag tls_aes128.c mg_aes_gcm_decrypt signature verification

A security vulnerability has been detected in Cesanta Mongoose up to 7.20. This issue affects the function mg_aes_gcm_decrypt of the file /src/tls_aes128.c of the component GCM Authentication Tag Handler. Such manipulation leads to improper verification of cryptographic signature. The attack may be performed from remote. A high complexity level is associated with this attack. The exploitability is assessed as difficult. The exploit has been disclosed publicly and may be used. Upgrading to version 7.21 is capable of addressing this issue. It is advisable to upgrade the affected component. VulDB has contacted the vendor early and they confirmed quickly, that this issue got fixed already.

Published Apr 25, 2026 · Updated Oct 13, 2026 · Sources: NIST National Vulnerability Database, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP · CNA: VulDB

Who exploits it and how urgent it is

A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.

No exploitation signal in the sources consulted so far.
How the score was calculated
  • EPSS 0.3% (30-day exploitation probability)+2
  • CISA SSVC: exploitation "poc"+5

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.

Exploitation
Not confirmed
Not in CISA KEV — an absence of record, not proof it is unexploited.
EPSS FIRST
0.25%
ahead of 16% of scored CVEs · Oct 14, 2026
Affects
Cesanta
Mongoose
CVSS base
3.7
Low · 2 source(s)

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.

Exploitation
Proof of concept
none · proof-of-concept · active
Automatable
No
can an attacker script the kill-chain steps
Technical impact
Partial
partial · total control of the vulnerable component

Remediation

Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.

No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.

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.

  1. Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Cesanta Mongoose).
  2. The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
  3. No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
  4. Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (integrity), errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

VendorProductVersionsStatusSource
Cesanta Mongoose version 7.10version 7.20version 7.19version 7.18version 7.17version 7.16version 7.15version 7.14
and 13 more version 7.13version 7.12version 7.11version 7.9version 7.8version 7.7version 7.6version 7.5version 7.4version 7.3version 7.2version 7.1version 7.0
Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
Cesanta Mongoose ≥ 7.0 and < 7.21 Vulnerable NIST National Vulnerability Database

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
High
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

ScoreVersionSeverityExpl.ImpactScored by
6.3 CVSS 4.0 Medium — — VulDB via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
2.9 CVSS 4.0 Low — — cna@vuldb.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database
3.7 CVSS 3.1 Low 2.2 1.4 cna@vuldb.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database
3.7 CVSS 3.1 Low — — VulDB via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
3.7 CVSS 3.0 Low — — VulDB via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
2.6 CVSS 2.0 Low 4.9 2.9 cna@vuldb.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database
2.6 CVSS 2.0 Low — — VulDB via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N (score shown at the top: cna@vuldb.com)

Weakness MITRE

Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.

CWE-345 · Insufficient Verification of Data Authenticity

Other CVEs with this weakness →

EPSS over time FIRST

Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 2 reading(s) · max 0.25%

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).
web/proxy/WAF logsnetwork IDS/IPS

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

  • 2026
  • Affected products added · cesanta/mongoose
    Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • SSVC assessment updated
    Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • Record published
    Oct 13, 2026
  • CVSS changed · 3.7
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Source status changed · → Analyzed
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Record created in this database
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • CVE published
    Apr 25, 2026 · VulDB

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

  • 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026

References

5 on the record

Elsewhere on this site

Cesanta
every CVE for this vendor
Integrity
same class
CWE-345
other pages naming this weakness

Related CVEs (same products)

  • CVE-2026-73252 Mongoose: Unauthenticated remote heap out-of-bounds read in built-in TLS: off-by-one length check in mg_tls_recv_record() underflows recv_len to SIZE_MAX 1d
  • CVE-2026-73261 Mongoose: handle_opt() missing opts[1] > len check — 1-byte OOB read corrupts TCP MSS, silences mg_send() per connection 1d
  • CVE-2026-73260 Mongoose: Out-of-bounds Read via length-counter underflow in built-in TLS X.509 DER parser 1d
  • CVE-2026-63626 Mongoose: ppp_handle_ipv6cp() uses attacker-controlled length without bounds check — OOB read and heap overflow (PPP/PPPoE, MG_ENABLE_IPV6) 1d
  • CVE-2026-73258 Incorrect Comparison in Cesanta Mongoose Aug 20, 2026
  • CVE-2026-73259 Cross-site Scripting (XSS) in Cesanta Mongoose Aug 20, 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 fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
  • 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-2026-6986 is "Cesanta Mongoose GCM Authentication Tag tls_aes128.c mg_aes_gcm_decrypt signature verification", rated Low. It affects Mongoose (Cesanta); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 3.7 describes technical severity. EPSS 0.25% 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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