CVE-2026-77207 — Null Pointer Dereference in PKCS#7 bundle with no certificates
Libreswan has a null pointer dereference bug in the PKCS#7 handling code for IKE certificate authentication. When libreswan decodes an IKE CERT payload of type CERT_PKCS7_WRAPPED_X509, it guards the PKCS#7 blob with SEC_PKCS7ContainsCertsOrCrls() and then iterates the certificate list with SEC_PKCS7GetCertificateList(). The two NSS APIs disagree on a SignedData that carries a CRL but no certificates: ContainsCertsOrCrls() returns PR_TRUE (there is a CRL), so the guard passes, but GetCertificateList() returns NULL (there are no certificates). This causes libreswan to dereference a null pointer leading to a crash and restart. A malicious IKE_AUTH packet can trigger this bug, meaning the peer does not need to be authenticated. No remote code execution is possible. Continued exploitation can cause a denial of service.
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)+4
- 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.
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.
- Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (The Libreswan Project Libreswan).
- The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
- No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
- Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (logic error), errors and authentication anomalies.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Libreswan Project | Libreswan | ≥ 4.7 and ≤ 5.3.2≥ 5.4 and ≤ 5.4 | Vulnerable | CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.5 | CVSS 3.1 | High | 3.9 | 3.6 | d42dc95b-23f1-4e06-9076-20753a0fb0df via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 7.5 | CVSS 3.1 | High | — | — | libreswan via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H (score shown at the top: d42dc95b-23f1-4e06-9076-20753a0fb0df) Weakness MITRE
Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.
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).
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- Source status changed · Published → Received
- Record published
- CVSS changed · 7.5
- Source status changed · → Published
- 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
2 on the record
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- High CVE-2026-94453 IKEv2 Use-After-Free bug when using IKE-over-TCP 1d
- Low CVE-2026-77205 Denial of Service via sending bogus X.509 certificates 1d
- High CVE-2026-77206 IKEv2 pre-authentication Null Pointer Dereference in EAP code 1d
- High CVE-2026-14957 In FIPS mode, Libreswan's add_decoded_cert() function calls CERT_ExtractPublicKey() and asserts... Sep 2, 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 CISA SSVC assessment.
- 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-2026-77207 is "Null Pointer Dereference in PKCS#7 bundle with no certificates", rated High. It affects Libreswan (The Libreswan Project); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 7.5 describes technical severity. EPSS 0.34% 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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