Forge: TLS client crash when the server sends no certificate

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

5.9 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

EPSS

• CVE-2026-118778: 0.20% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 10.39 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Summary The forge TLS client's check for a missing server certificate read the wrong property and never ran. A malicious TLS server, or an on-path attacker who removes the server's Certificate message, can make `connection.process()` throw a `TypeError`, which crashes applications that use the forge TLS client. Fixed in node-forge 1.4.1.

Details After ServerHelloDone, `tls.handleServerHelloDone()` in `lib/tls.js` is meant to reject a server that sent no certificate with a fatal `insufficient_security` alert, after consulting the application's `verify` callback. The check tested `c.serverCertificate`, which is never set (the certificate is stored as `c.session.serverCertificate`), so it never ran. The client state machine allows ServerHelloDone directly after ServerHello, so the handshake continued to `tls.createClientKeyExchange()`, which reads `c.session.serverCertificate.publicKey` and throws a `TypeError` on the null certificate. The exception propagates out of…

Published by the source

30 Oct 2026, 23:02 UTC

Last modified by the source

30 Oct 2026, 23:15 UTC

Source last checked

31 Oct 2026, 06:00 UTC

1. Revision 2 · amended · 31 Oct 2026

   Amended from osv record GHSA-525v-9gp9-w22h

2. Revision 1 · created · 30 Oct 2026

   Published from ghsa record GHSA-525v-9gp9-w22h

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2026-118778

Advisory: Forge: TLS client crash when the server sends no certificate
IDs: CVE-2026-118778, GHSA-525v-9gp9-w22h
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2026-118778 (revision 2, source checked 31 Oct 2026, 06:00 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Medium (CVSS 5.9)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: node-forge 1.4.1. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- npm node-forge: affected < 1.4.1; fixed in 1.4.1

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- `npm ls node-forge --all`: lists every installed copy and version, including transitive ones. Run in the project root after `npm ci`.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on node-forge.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-525v-9gp9-w22h (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-525v-9gp9-w22h lists affected ranges: npm node-forge >=0 <=1.4.0)
- Verified: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-525v-9gp9-w22h (OSV record GHSA-525v-9gp9-w22h lists affected ranges: npm node-forge >=0 <1.4.1 (fixed))

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