eef-cve-2026-115693

CVSS 9.1 osv_hex
Description

## Summary Improper Certificate Validation vulnerability in `hackney_ssl` in benoitc hackney allows an on-path attacker to impersonate a server pinned to a private certificate authority via a certificate chain that ends in a publicly trusted root. hackney adds `{partial_chain, fun hackney_ssl:partial_chain/1}` to every `verify_peer` configuration. The callback returns any certificate in the peer chain whose public key matches a root in the bundled certifi store as the trust anchor, and OTP honours that callback over the configured `cacerts`. `hackney_ssl:merge_ssl_opts/3` kept the callback when the caller replaced the trust store with `cacerts` or `cacertfile` in `ssl_options`, so a connection pinned to a private CA still accepted any chain that carried a publicly trusted root. The hostname check still applies, so the attacker needs a publicly trusted certificate for the pinned hostname. This issue affects hackney: from 1.24.0 before 4.9.0. ## Details **1. Default trust options.** `hackney_ssl:check_hostname_opts/1` builds the `verify_peer` options for every TLS connection: the certifi `cacerts`, a hostname `verify_fun`, and `{partial_chain, fun hackney_ssl:partial_chain/1}`. The callback walks the peer chain and returns `{trusted_ca, Cert}` for the first certificate whose public key matches a root in the bundled certifi store, which lets OTP accept chains that end in a cross-signed root. **2. Merge keeps the callback.** When the caller passes `ssl_options`, `hackney_ssl:merge_ssl_opts/3` merges them over the defaults with the caller's values winning per key. `cacerts` or `cacertfile` replace the trust store, and a `cacertfile` removes the default `cacerts`, but `partial_chain` has no counterpart in the caller's options and stays. **3. Validation.** OTP consults `partial_chain` before the configured trust store. A peer chain that carries any publicly trusted root therefore gets that root as its trust anchor, and the pinned `cacerts` are never consulted. Only the hostname `verify_fun` still constrains the attacker. ## Impact An attacker positioned between the client and a server pinned to a private CA, holding a publicly trusted certificate for the pinned hostname, can impersonate the server and read or modify the traffic the client sends and receives. ## Workarounds Pass your own `{partial_chain, Fun}` in `ssl_options` alongside `cacerts` or `cacertfile`. A caller-supplied `partial_chain` replaces hackney's in the merge, and a callback that returns `unknown_ca` makes OTP validate against the configured `cacerts` only. ## Configurations The caller passes `cacerts` or `cacertfile` in `ssl_options` to restrict trust to a private CA, without a `partial_chain` of its own. Connections that use hackney's default certifi trust store are not affected.

Timeline
Published
unknown
Last Modified
unknown
CVSS Details

CVSS details not available.

Affected Products

No product information available.

Weaknesses (CWE)
References
Linked Vulnerabilities

No linked vulnerabilities found.

{
  "affected": [
    {
      "database_specific": {
        "source": "https://cna.erlef.org/osv/EEF-CVE-2026-115693.json"
      },
      "package": {
        "ecosystem": "Hex",
        "name": "hackney",
        "purl": "pkg:hex/hackney"
      },
      "ranges": [
        {
          "events": [
            {
              "introduced": "1.24.0"
            },
            {
              "fixed": "4.9.0"
            }
          ],
          "type": "SEMVER"
        }
      ],
      "versions": [
        "1.24.0",
        "1.24.1",
        "1.25.0",
        "2.0.0",
        "2.0.0-beta.1",
        "2.0.1",
        "3.0.0",
        "3.0.1",
        "3.0.2",
        "3.0.3",
        "3.1.0",
        "3.1.1",
        "3.1.2",
        "3.2.0",
        "3.2.1",
        "4.0.0",
        "4.0.1",
        "4.0.2",
        "4.0.3",
        "4.1.0",
        "4.2.0",
        "4.2.1",
        "4.2.2",
        "4.2.3",
        "4.3.0",
        "4.4.0",
        "4.4.1",
        "4.4.2",
        "4.4.3",
        "4.4.5",
        "4.5.0",
        "4.5.1",
        "4.5.2",
        "4.6.0",
        "4.6.1",
        "4.7.0",
        "4.7.1",
        "4.7.2",
        "4.7.3",
        "4.7.4",
        "4.8.0",
        "4.8.1",
        "4.8.2",
        "4.8.3",
        "4.8.4",
        "4.8.5",
        "4.8.6",
        "4.8.7"
      ]
    },
    {
      "database_specific": {
        "source": "https://cna.erlef.org/osv/EEF-CVE-2026-115693.json"
      },
      "ranges": [
        {
          "events": [
            {
              "introduced": "d8a9afcf5c3849904274e2eba1df56c63d1a1a0c"
            },
            {
              "fixed": "915eb5737e9c489d8fc22eec8cdae30e9b027be4"
            }
          ],
          "repo": "https://github.com/benoitc/hackney",
          "type": "GIT"
        }
      ],
      "versions": [
        "4.8.6",
        "4.8.5",
        "4.8.4",
        "4.8.3",
        "4.8.2",
        "4.8.1",
        "4.8.0",
        "4.7.4",
        "4.7.3",
        "4.7.2",
        "4.7.1",
        "4.7.0",
        "4.6.1",
        "4.6.0",
        "4.5.2",
        "4.5.1",
        "4.5.0",
        "4.4.5",
        "4.4.4",
        "4.4.3",
        "4.4.2",
        "4.4.1",
        "4.4.0",
        "4.3.0",
        "4.2.3",
        "4.2.2",
        "4.2.1",
        "4.2.0",
        "4.1.0",
        "4.0.3",
        "4.0.2",
        "4.0.1",
        "4.0.0",
        "3.2.1",
        "3.2.0",
        "3.1.2",
        "3.1.1",
        "3.1.0",
        "3.0.3",
        "3.0.2",
        "3.0.1",
        "2.0.1",
        "2.0.0",
        "2.0.0-beta.1",
        "1.25.0",
        "1.24.1",
        "1.24.0"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "aliases": [
    "CVE-2026-115693"
  ],
  "credits": [
    {
      "name": "Martin Karrer",
      "type": "FINDER"
    },
    {
      "name": "Martin Karrer",
      "type": "REMEDIATION_DEVELOPER"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jonatan Männchen / EEF",
      "type": "COORDINATOR"
    }
  ],
  "database_specific": {
    "capec_ids": [
      "CAPEC-94"
    ],
    "cpe_ids": [
      "cpe:2.3:a:benoitc:hackney:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*"
    ],
    "cwe_ids": [
      "CWE-295"
    ]
  },
  "details": "## Summary\n\nImproper Certificate Validation vulnerability in `hackney_ssl` in benoitc hackney allows an on-path attacker to impersonate a server pinned to a private certificate authority via a certificate chain that ends in a publicly trusted root. hackney adds `{partial_chain, fun hackney_ssl:partial_chain/1}` to every `verify_peer` configuration. The callback returns any certificate in the peer chain whose public key matches a root in the bundled certifi store as the trust anchor, and OTP honours that callback over the configured `cacerts`. `hackney_ssl:merge_ssl_opts/3` kept the callback when the caller replaced the trust store with `cacerts` or `cacertfile` in `ssl_options`, so a connection pinned to a private CA still accepted any chain that carried a publicly trusted root.\n\nThe hostname check still applies, so the attacker needs a publicly trusted certificate for the pinned hostname.\n\nThis issue affects hackney: from 1.24.0 before 4.9.0.\n\n## Details\n\n**1. Default trust options.** `hackney_ssl:check_hostname_opts/1` builds the `verify_peer` options for every TLS connection: the certifi `cacerts`, a hostname `verify_fun`, and `{partial_chain, fun hackney_ssl:partial_chain/1}`. The callback walks the peer chain and returns `{trusted_ca, Cert}` for the first certificate whose public key matches a root in the bundled certifi store, which lets OTP accept chains that end in a cross-signed root.\n\n**2. Merge keeps the callback.** When the caller passes `ssl_options`, `hackney_ssl:merge_ssl_opts/3` merges them over the defaults with the caller's values winning per key. `cacerts` or `cacertfile` replace the trust store, and a `cacertfile` removes the default `cacerts`, but `partial_chain` has no counterpart in the caller's options and stays.\n\n**3. Validation.** OTP consults `partial_chain` before the configured trust store. A peer chain that carries any publicly trusted root therefore gets that root as its trust anchor, and the pinned `cacerts` are never consulted. Only the hostname `verify_fun` still constrains the attacker.\n\n## Impact\n\nAn attacker positioned between the client and a server pinned to a private CA, holding a publicly trusted certificate for the pinned hostname, can impersonate the server and read or modify the traffic the client sends and receives.\n\n## Workarounds\n\nPass your own `{partial_chain, Fun}` in `ssl_options` alongside `cacerts` or `cacertfile`. A caller-supplied `partial_chain` replaces hackney's in the merge, and a callback that returns `unknown_ca` makes OTP validate against the configured `cacerts` only.\n\n## Configurations\n\nThe caller passes `cacerts` or `cacertfile` in `ssl_options` to restrict trust to a private CA, without a `partial_chain` of its own. Connections that use hackney's default certifi trust store are not affected.",
  "id": "EEF-CVE-2026-115693",
  "modified": "2026-10-26T14:00:04.842588289Z",
  "published": "2026-10-26T13:49:29.374Z",
  "references": [
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/benoitc/hackney/pull/978"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://cna.erlef.org/cves/CVE-2026-115693.html"
    },
    {
      "type": "ADVISORY",
      "url": "https://github.com/benoitc/hackney/releases/tag/4.9.0"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/benoitc/hackney/commit/d8a9afcf5c3849904274e2eba1df56c63d1a1a0c"
    },
    {
      "type": "FIX",
      "url": "https://github.com/benoitc/hackney/commit/915eb5737e9c489d8fc22eec8cdae30e9b027be4"
    },
    {
      "type": "PACKAGE",
      "url": "https://hex.pm/packages/hackney"
    }
  ],
  "schema_version": "1.9.0",
  "severity": [
    {
      "score": "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N",
      "type": "CVSS_V4"
    }
  ],
  "summary": "Custom cacerts or cacertfile do not restrict trust to the pinned CA in hackney"
}
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