Forge: Denial of service in TLS record processing via call stack exhaustion

Exploitation

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

CVSS

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

EPSS

• CVE-2026-119187: 0.41% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 35.84 (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 Connections created with `forge.tls.createConnection()` processed received TLS records recursively, one stack level per record. A peer can send one chunk of thousands of small records, such as heartbeat records, which are accepted before the handshake, and `process()` throws `RangeError: Maximum call stack size exceeded`, which terminates Node.js processes that use the documented socket wiring. Fixed in node-forge 1.4.1.

Details In `lib/tls.js`, `c.process()` reads one record and passes it to `_update()`, which calls the handler for the record type from `ctTable`. Every handler (`tls.handleHeartbeat`, `tls.handleApplicationData`, `tls.handleHandshake` for fragmented messages, `tls.handleHelloRequest` and the other handshake handlers) ends by calling `c.process()` again to continue with the next buffered record, or the next message in the same record. Each record therefore adds `process` → `_update` → handler to the call stack. In Node.js 24, about 2,300 eight-byte…

Published by the source

30 Oct 2026, 23:01 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-hqq3-7jhf-c5jx

2. Revision 1 · created · 30 Oct 2026

   Published from ghsa record GHSA-hqq3-7jhf-c5jx

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2026-119187

Advisory: Forge: Denial of service in TLS record processing via call stack exhaustion
IDs: CVE-2026-119187, GHSA-hqq3-7jhf-c5jx
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2026-119187 (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: High (CVSS 7.5)
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-hqq3-7jhf-c5jx (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-hqq3-7jhf-c5jx lists affected ranges: npm node-forge >=0 <=1.4.0)
- Verified: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-hqq3-7jhf-c5jx (OSV record GHSA-hqq3-7jhf-c5jx lists affected ranges: npm node-forge >=0 <1.4.1 (fixed))

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