CVE-2026-14957
HIGHDescription
In FIPS mode, Libreswan's add_decoded_cert() function calls CERT_ExtractPublicKey() and asserts that the result is not NULL. However, CERT_ExtractPublicKey() returns NULL when public key extraction fails, for example if the RSA exponent is set to 0. A remote attacker can send a malformed X.509 certificate in a CERT payload to trigger the assertion, causing the pluto daemon to abort and restart. Continued exploitation causes a denial of service. No remote code execution is possible. Both IKEv1 and IKEv2 are affected. The vulnerability is only exploitable when both the OS and libreswan are running in FIPS mode and at least one CA certificate is loaded. The CERT payload is processed before peer authentication, so no credentials are needed to exploit this. Configurations using only PreSharedKey (PSK) authentication with no CA certificates loaded in the NSS database are not vulnerable.
How to fix
This vulnerability affects an unusually large number of packages. The highest-confidence fixes are shown above; the full list is longer. Check the referenced advisories for complete coverage.
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Remediation is compiled from vendor and distribution security advisories. Always confirm against the linked source for your exact version and platform.
CVSS v3 Vector
Exploitability
Impact
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Exploit Intelligence
Low risk: more likely to be exploited than 39% of all known CVEs.
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-252 vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2005-4360 | High | 7.8 | 87% | - | - |
| CVE-2007-3798 | Critical | 9.8 | 70% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2010-0211 | Critical | 9.8 | 28% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2022-23626 | High | 8.5 | 9.9% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2019-10902 | High | 7.5 | 4.7% | - | - |
| CVE-2018-20216 | High | 7.5 | 3.9% | - | Fix |
Common questions
How do I fix CVE-2026-14957?
Published advisories record a fix for 11 affected products. The "How to fix" section on this page lists the fixed version and source advisory for each one, so apply the entry matching what you actually run.
Is CVE-2026-14957 being actively exploited?
Not that we know of. CVE-2026-14957 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 0.47% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 39% of all scored CVEs.
How severe is CVE-2026-14957?
CVE-2026-14957 has a CVSS v3 base score of 7.5, rated important. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.
What does CVE-2026-14957 affect?
Published advisories record a fix for libreswan (Debian), libreswan (Rocky), libreswan (Red Hat / RHEL), libreswan-debuginfo (Red Hat / RHEL), and 7 more. Only products with a sourced advisory are listed, so treat this as what we can cite rather than a complete inventory.
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This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2026-09-09.