CVE-2026-11999 X.509 trust-chain bypass via path-depth exhaustion in wolfSSL_X509_verify_cert()

High 8.2 Published 25 Jun 2026 Updated 25 Jun 2026

Attackers can bypass X.509 certificate validation in wolfSSL when using OpenSSL compatibility mode with deep certificate chains, allowing acceptance of untrusted certificates.

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: Not needed
Attackable: Over the internet
Victim action needed: Not needed
Fix: Available

What is CVE-2026-11999?

CVE-2026-11999 is a high-severity vulnerability in Wolfssl Wolfssl, published on 25 Jun 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

Official description

X.509 trust-chain bypass (path-depth exhaustion) in the OpenSSL compatibility certificate verifier (wolfSSL_X509_verify_cert()). This affects only builds with --enable-opensslextra whose application calls X509_verify_cert() with caller-supplied untrusted intermediates; for those users it is critical, otherwise the library is unaffected. Native wolfSSL TLS/DTLS usage is not impacted. X509_verify_cert() returned success based only on the last verified link rather than on reaching a trust anchor: when the supplied chain is deeper than the verifier's maximum path depth (default 100), path building runs out of depth while still walking untrusted intermediates and the chain is accepted even though it never reaches a configured trust anchor, allowing acceptance of an attacker-controlled certificate. The default TLS handshake (WOLFSSL_VERIFY_PEER) is not affected; only applications doing manual or deferred verification through this API are.

Weakness: CWE-295

Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-11999?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Wolfssl Wolfssl.

How do I fix CVE-2026-11999?

Apply the vendor's patch.

Is CVE-2026-11999 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-11999 in the wild and no public exploit code.

All Wolfssl Wolfssl vulnerabilities

Sources

Also known as DEBIAN-CVE-2026-11999, GHSA-wrw6-8jh4-qvcx, JLSEC-2026-699, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-11999.