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CVE-2026-6985· NVD / CVE Program· CNA VulDB

Cesanta Mongoose TCP Option net_builtin.c handle_opt infinite loop

A weakness has been identified in Cesanta Mongoose up to 7.20. This vulnerability affects the function handle_opt of the file /src/net_builtin.c of the component TCP Option Handler. This manipulation of the argument optlen causes infinite loop. The attack is possible to be carried out remotely. The exploit has been made available to the public and could be used for attacks. Upgrading to version 7.21 is able to resolve this issue. Upgrading the affected component is advised. VulDB has contacted the vendor early and they confirmed quickly, that this issue got fixed already.

MediumCVSS 5.5 · v4.0—No exploit Fix available
Published
Apr 25, 2026
Updated
Jun 17, 2026
EPSS
0.9% · 59th percentile
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Report tools

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Action score

22

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
22 / 40 · 5.5 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.9%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
proof of concept
Automatable
yes
Technical impact
partial

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
—
CNA · VulDB
6.9
NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Noroxi analysis

No Noroxi analysis for this record yet

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Affected systems

VendorProduct
cesantamongoose

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • cesanta mongoose7.0 and later · before 7.21

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (VulDB). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • Cesanta Mongoose

    • 7.21not affected
    • 7.0, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, 7.5, 7.6, 7.7, 7.8, 7.9, 7.10, 7.11 … (+9)affected

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Debian:12swupdateall versions—
Debian:14swupdatebefore 2025.12+dfsg-102025.12+dfsg-10

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2019-19307An integer overflow in parse_mqtt in mongoose.c in Cesanta Mongoose 6.16 allows an attacker to achieve remote DoS (infinite loop), or possib
    52Plan
  • CVE-2017-2894An exploitable stack buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the MQTT packet parsing functionality of Cesanta Mongoose 6.8.
    48Plan
  • CVE-2019-12951An issue was discovered in Mongoose before 6.15.
    40Plan
  • CVE-2018-20356An invalid read of 8 bytes due to a use-after-free vulnerability in the mg_http_free_proto_data_cgi function call in mongoose.c in Cesanta M
    40Plan
  • CVE-2018-20355An invalid write of 8 bytes due to a use-after-free vulnerability in the mg_http_free_proto_data_cgi function call in mongoose.c in Cesanta
    40Plan
  • CVE-2018-20354An invalid read of 8 bytes due to a use-after-free vulnerability during a "return" in the mg_http_get_proto_data function in mongoose.c in C
    40Plan

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
Cesanta Mongoose7.21 · descriptionVendor (CNA)
debian:swupdate2025.12+dfsg-10 · Debian:14Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
  • No account or password is required.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
Integrity
Availability
Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
X

CVSS vector

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/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:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

nvd-secondary

Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

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References

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

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