CVE-2026-27138: Go standard library crypto/x509 · Improper Validation of Specified Index, Position, or Offset in Input
Affects Go standard library crypto/x509Source CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.9 Medium : upgrade to 1.26.1 when convenient.
Data as of 29 Oct 2026, 19:04 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 30% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
- Patch
- Available – fixed in 1.26.1
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 6 Mar 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 29 Oct 2026.
What to do
Upgrade Go standard library crypto/x509 to 1.26.1.
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| Go standard librarycrypto/x509 | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Gocrypto/x509pkg:golang/crypto/x509Other threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Gogithub.com/golang/go/src/crypto/x509pkg:golang/github.com/golang/go/src/crypto/x509Other threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
AI-suggested
To mitigate CVE-2026-27138, organizations should upgrade to a fixed version of the Go standard library once available, as this is the most effective solution. In the interim, developers should audit their applications to identify where crypto/x509 certificate verification is performed and implement defensive coding practices such as validating certificate chains before passing them to the library or catching panics to prevent application crashes. Employing circuit breakers or fallback mechanisms in TLS-dependent services can reduce the impact of unexpected crashes. Monitoring logs for panics related to certificate verification can help detect attempted exploitation. Additionally, restricting the acceptance of certificates with empty DNS names or excluded name constraints through policy or custom validation logic can reduce exposure. Network-level protections such as filtering suspicious certificate chains or limiting exposure of vulnerable services may also help mitigate risk until patches are applied.
Description
Certificate verification can panic when a certificate in the chain has an empty DNS name and another certificate in the chain has excluded name constraints. This can crash programs that are either directly verifying X.509 certificate chains, or those that use TLS.