CVE-2026-33896 Forge has a basicConstraints bypass in its certificate chain verification (RFC 5280 violation)
Attackers can bypass certificate chain verification in node-forge by using leaf certificates without basicConstraints, allowing them to impersonate trusted entities.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-33896?
CVE-2026-33896 is a high-severity vulnerability in digitalbazaar forge, published on 27 Mar 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official description
Forge (also called `node-forge`) is a native implementation of Transport Layer Security in JavaScript. Prior to version 1.4.0, `pki.verifyCertificateChain()` does not enforce RFC 5280 basicConstraints requirements when an intermediate certificate lacks both the `basicConstraints` and `keyUsage` extensions. This allows any leaf certificate (without these extensions) to act as a CA and sign other certificates, which node-forge will accept as valid. Version 1.4.0 patches the issue.
Weakness: CWE-295
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-33896?
2 open source packages ship an affected version, including node-forge. It affects 1 product.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
node-forge npm | All versions | 1.4.0 |
node-forge npm | All versions | 1.4.0 |
Products include Digitalbazaar Forge.
How do I fix CVE-2026-33896?
Upgrade node-forge to 1.4.0 or later.
Is CVE-2026-33896 being exploited?
It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-33896 exists.
Other vulnerabilities in digitalbazaar forge
Sources
Also known as CLEANSTART-2026-AY77464, CLEANSTART-2026-DH07747, CLEANSTART-2026-MW03453, GHSA-2328-f5f3-gj25, MINI-25p8-wx8q-qwxc, MINI-3q8g-33v6-fhfp and 19 more.