node-forge < 1.4.0: VerifyCertificateChain Allows Non-CA Certs
CVE-2026-33896 Published on March 27, 2026

Forge has a basicConstraints bypass in its certificate chain verification (RFC 5280 violation)
Forge (also called `node-forge`) is a native implementation of Transport Layer Security in JavaScript. Prior to version 1.4.0, `pki.verifyCertificateChain()` does not enforce RFC 5280 basicConstraints requirements when an intermediate certificate lacks both the `basicConstraints` and `keyUsage` extensions. This allows any leaf certificate (without these extensions) to act as a CA and sign other certificates, which node-forge will accept as valid. Version 1.4.0 patches the issue.

Vendor Advisory NVD

Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2026-33896 is exploitable with network access, and does not require authorization privileges or user interaction. This vulnerability is consided to have a high level of attack complexity. Public availability of a proof of concept (POC) exploit exists for CVE-2026-33896. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to have a high impact on confidentiality and integrity, and no impact on availability.

Attack Vector:
NETWORK
Attack Complexity:
HIGH
Privileges Required:
NONE
User Interaction:
NONE
Scope:
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality Impact:
HIGH
Integrity Impact:
HIGH
Availability Impact:
NONE

Weakness Type

Improper Certificate Validation

The software does not validate, or incorrectly validates, a certificate. When a certificate is invalid or malicious, it might allow an attacker to spoof a trusted entity by interfering in the communication path between the host and client. The software might connect to a malicious host while believing it is a trusted host, or the software might be deceived into accepting spoofed data that appears to originate from a trusted host.


Products Associated with CVE-2026-33896

You can be notified by email with stack.watch whenever vulnerabilities like CVE-2026-33896 are published in these products:

Digitalbazaar Forge
 
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform
 
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform Developer
 
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform Inside
 
Red Hat Rhdh
 
Red Hat Logging
 
Red Hat Service Registry
 
Red Hat Podman Desktop
 
Red Hat Jboss Data Grid
 
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
 
Red Hat Jboss Fuse
 
Red Hat Quay
 
Red Hat Cryostat
 
Red Hat Apache Camel Hawtio
 
Red Hat Jboss Enterprise Bpms Platform
 
Red Hat Cluster Observability Operator
 

Affected Versions

digitalbazaar forge: Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 8: Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 9: Red Hat Cluster Observability Operator 1.5.0: Red Hat Developer Hub 1.8: Red Hat Developer Hub 1.9: Red Hat Cryostat 4: Logging Subsystem for Red Hat OpenShift: Logging Subsystem for Red Hat OpenShift: Logging Subsystem for Red Hat OpenShift: Logging Subsystem for Red Hat OpenShift: Logging Subsystem for Red Hat OpenShift: Logging Subsystem for Red Hat OpenShift: Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2: Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2: Red Hat build of Apache Camel - HawtIO 4: Red Hat build of Apicurio Registry 2: Red Hat Build of Podman Desktop: Red Hat Build of Podman Desktop: Red Hat Data Grid 8: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9: Red Hat Fuse 7: Red Hat Fuse 7: Red Hat Process Automation 7: Red Hat Quay 3:

Exploit Probability

EPSS
0.35%
Percentile
27.35%

EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) scores estimate the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. The percentile shows you how this score compares to all other vulnerabilities.