CVE-2026-83540
HIGHDescription
When password or public key authentication is used with the Windows port of wolfSSHd, the Windows logon token acquired for one authenticated connection is not released before a token is acquired for a subsequent connection, resulting in user login poisoning between connections. A less privileged user with a valid account on the server can exploit this to force a login as a more privileged user. The vulnerability was introduced with the initial Windows port of wolfSSHd in wolfSSH version 1.4.15 and affects all versions through 1.5.0. Non-Windows builds of wolfSSHd are not affected.
How to fix
TridentStack Control can deploy fixes like this automatically across your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet. See how it works
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:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Exploit Intelligence
Low risk: more likely to be exploited than 29% of all known CVEs.
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-287 (Improper Authentication) vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2024-7593 | Critical | 9.8 | 100% | KEV | - |
| CVE-2023-35082 | Critical | 9.8 | 100% | KEV + Ransom | Fix |
| CVE-2023-35078 | Critical | 9.8 | 100% | KEV + Ransom | Fix |
| CVE-2017-7921 | Critical | 9.8 | 100% | KEV | - |
| CVE-2021-33044 | Critical | 9.8 | 100% | KEV | Fix |
| CVE-2023-46805 | High | 8.2 | 100% | KEV + Ransom | - |
Common questions
How do I fix CVE-2026-83540?
Upgrade wolfssh to 1.6.0 or later.
Is CVE-2026-83540 being actively exploited?
Not that we know of. CVE-2026-83540 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 0.36% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 29% of all scored CVEs.
How severe is CVE-2026-83540?
CVE-2026-83540 has a CVSS v3 base score of 8.8, rated high. 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-2026-83540 affect?
Published advisories record a fix for wolfssh (NVD). Only products with a sourced advisory are listed, so treat this as what we can cite rather than a complete inventory.
Embed a live status badge for CVE-2026-83540
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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 2026-10-13.