Vulnerability Description
Improper Certificate Validation vulnerability in Erlang OTP public_key (pubkey_ocsp module) allows OCSP designated-responder authorization bypass via missing signature verification. The OCSP response validation in public_key:pkix_ocsp_validate/5 does not verify that a CA-designated responder certificate was cryptographically signed by the issuing CA. Instead, it only checks that the responder certificate's issuer name matches the CA's subject name and that the certificate has the OCSPSigning extended key usage. An attacker who can intercept or control OCSP responses can create a self-signed certificate with a matching issuer name and the OCSPSigning EKU, and use it to forge OCSP responses that mark revoked certificates as valid. This affects SSL/TLS clients using OCSP stapling, which may accept connections to servers with revoked certificates, potentially transmitting sensitive data to compromised servers. Applications using the public_key:pkix_ocsp_validate/5 API directly are also affected, with impact depending on usage context. This vulnerability is associated with program files lib/public_key/src/pubkey_ocsp.erl and program routines pubkey_ocsp:is_authorized_responder/3. This issue affects OTP from OTP 27.0 until OTP 28.4.2 and 27.3.4.10 corresponding to public_key from 1.16 until 1.20.3 and 1.17.1.2, and ssl from 11.2 until 11.5.4 and 11.2.12.7.
CVSS Score
HIGH
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| Erlang | Erlang\/Otp | >= 27.0, < 27.3.4.10 |
| Erlang | Erlang\/Public Key | >= 1.16, < 1.17.1.2 |
| Erlang | Erlang\/Ssl | >= 11.2, < 11.2.12.7 |
Related Weaknesses (CWE)
References
- https://cna.erlef.org/cves/CVE-2026-32144.htmlMitigationVendor Advisory
- https://github.com/erlang/otp/commit/49033a6d93a5be0ee0dce04e1fb8b4ae7de1e0c0Patch
- https://github.com/erlang/otp/commit/ac7ff528be857c5d35eb29c7f24106e3a16d4891Patch
- https://github.com/erlang/otp/security/advisories/GHSA-gxrm-pf64-99xmMitigationThird Party Advisory
- https://osv.dev/vulnerability/EEF-CVE-2026-32144Third Party Advisory
- https://www.erlang.org/doc/system/versions.html#order-of-versionsVendor Advisory
FAQ
What is CVE-2026-32144?
CVE-2026-32144 is a vulnerability with a CVSS score of 7.4 (HIGH). Improper Certificate Validation vulnerability in Erlang OTP public_key (pubkey_ocsp module) allows OCSP designated-responder authorization bypass via missing signature verification. The OCSP response...
How severe is CVE-2026-32144?
CVE-2026-32144 has been rated HIGH with a CVSS base score of 7.4/10. Review the CVSS metrics above for detailed severity breakdown.
Is there a patch for CVE-2026-32144?
Check the references section above for vendor advisories and patch information. Affected products include: Erlang Erlang\/Otp, Erlang Erlang\/Public Key, Erlang Erlang\/Ssl.