Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-4395

Memory Safety in Wolfssl ≤ 5.9.0

Published
19 March 2026
Modified
26 March 2026
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v4 1.3
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:P/VC:L/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:Y/R:U/V:D/RE:L/U:Amber
EPSS Score 0.0034 27th percentile
Risk Priority 15 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2026-4395 is a low-severity Heap-based Buffer Overflow (CWE-122) vulnerability in Wolfssl Wolfssl. Its CVSS base score is 1.3 (Low).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked at the 27th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

CVE-2026-4395 is a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in the KCAPI ECC code path of the wc_ecc_import_x963_ex() function within the wolfcrypt component of the wolfSSL library. The flaw occurs because the WOLFSSL_KCAPI_ECC code path copies input data to the key->pubkey_raw buffer, which is sized for 132 bytes, using XMEMCPY without bounds checking. In contrast, the ATECC code path includes length validation. This issue affects wolfSSL deployments that utilize the KCAPI ECC path.

A remote attacker can exploit the vulnerability by acting as a malicious TLS peer and sending a crafted oversized EC public key point, specifically via an ECPoint in the ServerKeyExchange message during TLS key exchange. Exploitation enables writing attacker-controlled data past the bounds of the pubkey_raw buffer. The vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) and is associated with CWE-122 (Heap-based Buffer Overflow).

The wolfSSL GitHub pull request at https://github.com/wolfSSL/wolfssl/pull/9988 addresses the issue, providing a patch for mitigation. Security practitioners should apply this update to wolfSSL installations using the affected KCAPI ECC code path.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Heap-based buffer overflow in the KCAPI ECC code path of wc_ecc_import_x963_ex() in wolfSSL wolfcrypt allows a remote attacker to write attacker-controlled data past the bounds of the pubkey_raw buffer via a crafted oversized EC public key point. The WOLFSSL_KCAPI_ECC code…

more

path copies the input to key->pubkey_raw (132 bytes) using XMEMCPY without a bounds check, unlike the ATECC code path which includes a length validation. This can be triggered during TLS key exchange when a malicious peer sends a crafted ECPoint in ServerKeyExchange.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation Privilege Escalation
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to elevate privileges.
T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution Execution
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in client applications to execute code.
T1210 Exploitation of Remote Services Lateral Movement
Adversaries may exploit remote services to gain unauthorized access to internal systems once inside of a network.
T1212 Exploitation for Credential Access Credential Access
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to collect credentials.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2026-3549Same product: Wolfssl Wolfssl
CVE-2026-5187Same product: Wolfssl Wolfssl
CVE-2026-10512Same product: Wolfssl Wolfssl
CVE-2025-11931Same product: Wolfssl Wolfssl
CVE-2026-6678Same product: Wolfssl Wolfssl
CVE-2026-7531Same product: Wolfssl Wolfssl
CVE-2024-5991Same product: Wolfssl Wolfssl
CVE-2026-3547Same product: Wolfssl Wolfssl
CVE-2024-0901Same product: Wolfssl Wolfssl
CVE-2026-12340Same product: Wolfssl Wolfssl

Affected Assets

wolfssl
wolfssl
≤ 5.9.0

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V1.4.1

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

Developer testing and evaluation (including fuzzing and memory-error detectors) can discover heap overflows after they have been coded.

Input validation enforces bounds checking on data written to heap buffers, directly stopping the overflow condition from being introduced.

Security engineering principles require use of memory-safe constructs and bounds-checked allocation routines that avoid introducing heap overflows.

Memory-protection mechanisms limit the ability of a heap overflow to execute attacker-controlled code or corrupt adjacent structures.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 full match
prevents

Secure-development practices directly require bounds checking and safe memory handling that prevent heap overflows.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Vulnerability scanning and recording can discover heap-overflow flaws but does not prevent their introduction in code.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Timely patching removes known heap-overflow instances after they exist.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

finds

Security testing in development and acceptance can detect heap overflows before release.

prevents

Secure development lifecycle mandates practices that reduce the likelihood of introducing heap overflows.

prevents

Application security requirements can specify bounds-checking and safe memory APIs that mitigate heap overflows.

prevents

Secure architecture and engineering principles include memory-safety and input-validation controls that address heap overflows.

prevents

Secure coding standards directly prescribe techniques (safe functions, bounds checks) that prevent heap-based buffer overflows.

none

Change management ensures controlled deployment of fixes for discovered heap-overflow vulnerabilities.

References