VulnerabilityPublished 23 Feb 2026

CVE-2026-2967: Cesanta Mongoose · Improper Verification of Source of a Communication Channel

Affects Cesanta MongooseSource CVE Database V5

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Public exploit available · CVSS 6.3 Medium.

Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 06:59 UTC

CVSS 4.0 base score

6.3Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.5% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 47% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

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

Base metrics

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: High
Attack Requirements: None
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Vulnerable system confidentiality: None
Vulnerable system integrity: None
Vulnerable system availability: Low
Subsequent system confidentiality: None
Subsequent system integrity: None
Subsequent system availability: None

Threat metrics

Exploit Maturity: POC

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable system is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed below, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed “remotely exploitable” and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: High: The successful attack depends on the evasion or circumvention of security-enhancing techniques in place that would otherwise hinder the attack. These include: Evasion of exploit mitigation techniques, for example, circumvention of address space randomization (ASLR) or data execution prevention (DEP) must be performed for the attack to be successful; Obtaining target-specific secrets. The attacker must gather some target-specific secret before the attack can be successful. A secret is any piece of information that cannot be obtained through any amount of reconnaissance. To obtain the secret the attacker must perform additional attacks or break otherwise secure measures (e.g. knowledge of a secret key may be needed to break a crypto channel). This operation must be performed for each attacked target.
Attack Requirements: None: The successful attack does not depend on the deployment and execution conditions of the vulnerable system. The attacker can expect to be able to reach the vulnerability and execute the exploit under all or most instances of the vulnerability.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files of the vulnerable system to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without interaction from any human user, other than the attacker.
Vulnerable system confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the Vulnerable System.
Vulnerable system integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the Vulnerable System.
Vulnerable system availability: Low: Performance is reduced or there are interruptions in resource availability. Even if repeated exploitation of the vulnerability is possible, the attacker does not have the ability to completely deny service to legitimate users. The resources in the Vulnerable System are either partially available all of the time, or fully available only some of the time, but overall there is no direct, serious consequence to the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the Subsequent System or all confidentiality impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the Subsequent System or all integrity impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the Subsequent System or all availability impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.
Exploit Maturity: POC: Based on threat intelligence sources each of the following must apply: · Proof-of-concept is publicly available · No knowledge of reported attempts to exploit this vulnerability · No knowledge of publicly available solutions used to simplify attempts to exploit the vulnerability

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v4.0 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 23 Feb 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: evidence found.
CVSS exploit maturity: proof of concept public
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), CVSS vector, the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 29 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
CesantaMongoose	Affected 7.0 – 7.20 21 affected builds	Fixed in–

CPE configurations (1)

cpe:2.3:a:cesanta:mongoose:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2026-2967, organizations should first identify all instances of Cesanta Mongoose up to version 7.20 within their environment, including embedded devices and networked applications. 2) Employ intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS) tuned to detect anomalous TCP sequence behaviors or suspicious connection attempts targeting Mongoose services. 3) Where feasible, replace or upgrade to a version of Mongoose that is confirmed not vulnerable once the vendor releases a patch or a secure fork is available. 4) Conduct thorough code reviews and testing of custom applications using Mongoose to identify and harden any logic relying on TCP source verification. 5) Monitor public vulnerability databases and security advisories for updates or community-developed patches. 6) For embedded devices, consider firmware updates or vendor support channels to address the vulnerability. 7) Apply strict network access controls and use VPNs or encrypted tunnels to protect communication channels that rely on Mongoose. These targeted mitigations go beyond generic advice by focusing on network controls, monitoring, and proactive identification of affected components.

Description

A security vulnerability has been detected in Cesanta Mongoose up to 7.20. This affects the function getpeer of the file /src/net_builtin.c of the component TCP Sequence Number Handler. The manipulation leads to improper verification of source of a communication channel. The attack may be initiated remotely. The attack's complexity is rated as high. The exploitability is reported as difficult. The exploit has been disclosed publicly and may be used. The vendor was contacted early about this disclosure but did not respond in any way.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2026-2967 is on the integrity of network communications handled by Cesanta Mongoose. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability could manipulate or spoof TCP connections, potentially injecting malicious data or commands into the communication stream. While the vulnerability does not directly compromise confidentiality or availability, it could serve as a stepping stone for more complex attacks, such as session hijacking or man-in-the-middle scenarios, especially in embedded systems or IoT devices relying on Mongoose for network communication. Organizations using affected versions may face risks of unauthorized command execution or data manipulation within their networked applications. Given the high complexity and difficulty of exploitation, widespread attacks are less likely, but targeted attacks against critical infrastructure or embedded devices using Mongoose could have serious consequences. The lack of vendor response and patches increases the risk exposure for users who cannot immediately remediate the issue.

References

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