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Response snapshot Oct 31, 2026, 01:26 UTC

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VulnerabilityCVE-2026-118778

Forge: TLS client crash when the server sends no certificate

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.

At a glance

Exploited
Not known
Severity
5.9 Medium (CVSS 3.1)
Chance of exploitation
Not estimated
Sources
1 source

What to do

GitHub lists first patched versions: node-forge: 1.4.1. Confirm the affected range and upgrade guidance in the exact advisory.

Read GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-525v-9gp9-w22h (opens a new tab)

What happened

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.

Continue reading

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 connection.process() without calling the verify or error callbacks.

There is no authentication bypass: without a server certificate the client cannot build its RSA key exchange, so the handshake cannot complete.

The fix reads c.session.serverCertificate and always fails the handshake in that case, still calling verify so the application can customize the alert. Failing even when verify returns true is needed because the key exchange requires the certificate.

Patches

Fixed in node-forge 1.4.1. The TLS client fails the handshake with an insufficient_security alert when the server sends no certificate.

Workarounds

Catch exceptions thrown by connection.process() in the code that feeds it network data, and close the connection when one occurs.

Credits

Reported by @arpitjain099.

Proof of concept

Connect a forge TLS client (forge.tls.createConnection({server: false, ...})) to a server whose first flight contains ServerHello and ServerHelloDone but no Certificate message. For example, run a forge TLS server and remove the Certificate handshake message (type 11) from its first flight before passing it to the client's process().

On 1.4.0 the client's process() throws "TypeError: Cannot read properties of null (reading 'publicKey')", and the verify and error callbacks are not called. On 1.4.1 the client calls verify with insufficient_security and no certificates, calls error with "No server certificate provided. Not enough security.", sends a fatal alert and closes the connection.

Regression tests are in tests/unit/tls.js ("missing server certificate").

Impact

Applications that use the forge TLS client (forge.tls.createConnection with server: false) are affected. A malicious server the application connects to, or an on-path attacker who can modify the unauthenticated handshake, can make the client throw from connection.process(). Since process() is normally called from a socket data handler, the uncaught exception terminates a Node.js process.

There is no confidentiality or integrity impact. Applications using Node.js's own TLS implementation are not affected.

Affected package ranges reported by GitHub: node-forge: <= 1.4.0

Scores and how they were measured

CVSS base severity

5.9

Version 3.1As of

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

Measurement source (opens a new tab)

How bad it is if exploited. Not a prediction of exploitation or proof you are exposed.

EPSS probability

Not available

A model's estimate of exploitation in the next 30 days, not certainty or your own risk.

Related technology

Sources

  1. Primary source

    GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-525v-9gp9-w22h (opens a new tab)

    The public advisory supplies the description, affected package/version ranges, and any listed CVSS metric. GitHub review is not local review.

    Published Checked

  2. Primary source

    GitHub public advisory API page (opens a new tab)

    The API page supplied GHSA-525v-9gp9-w22h, its actual identifiers, source dates, and structured metrics.

    Published Date not suppliedChecked

Cite this record

For factual claims, cite the primary sources above; cite KEVWire for its compilation, dates, and classifications.

APA

KEVWire. (2026, October 30). Forge: TLS client crash when the server sends no certificate (CVE-2026-118778). https://kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-118778

MLA

"Forge: TLS client crash when the server sends no certificate (CVE-2026-118778)." KEVWire, 30 Oct. 2026, kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-118778.

Chicago

KEVWire. "Forge: TLS client crash when the server sends no certificate (CVE-2026-118778)." Last modified October 30, 2026. https://kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-118778.

Evidence summary (plain text)

Forge: TLS client crash when the server sends no certificate (Oct 30, 2026).
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.

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.
CVSS 5.9 (version 3.1; evidence as of Oct 30, 2026; https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-525v-9gp9-w22h).
Sources:
GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-525v-9gp9-w22h: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-525v-9gp9-w22h
GitHub public advisory API page: https://api.github.com/advisories?type=reviewed&per_page=100&sort=updated&direction=desc
Record ID: CVE-2026-118778.
Record origin: Ingested record.
AI evidence: Not assessed.
Known exploitation: Not assessed.
Zero-day status: Not assessed. KEV membership alone does not establish zero-day status.
About this data

This record was ingested from a data source. Retrieved: Oct 31, 2026, 00:50 UTC. Ingestion is not an independent editorial investigation.

A CISA KEV listing documents known exploitation, not necessarily a zero-day; absence from the catalog does not prove a vulnerability has never been exploited.

Technology tags indicate possible relevance, not verified exposure. Confirm the affected product, version, and configuration against your own inventory; KEVWire does not scan your systems.

A personal reading checklist on this device, not verified remediation.

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