CVE-2026-77206

IKEv2 pre-authentication Null Pointer Dereference in EAP code

Published Oct 13, 2026 CVSS 3.1 · 7.5 High EPSS < 1% KEV · Not listed
Description
Libreswan's IKEv2 state machine has a null pointer dereference bug in the EAP handling code for authentication. As a result of inconsistency within the IKEv2 state machine code, this bug can be triggered by any IKEv2 connection, even if EAP is not configured at all. The error is caused by a fall-through where it incorrectly dereferences ike->sa.st_eap which is NULL. A malicious IKE_AUTH packet can trigger this bug, meaning the peer does not need to be authenticated. The bug results in a crash and restart of the pluto daemon. No remote code execution is possible. Continued exploitation can cause a denial of service.

Remediation

Vendor Solution

Upgrade to libreswan 5.3.3 or 5.4.1 or later. Note that EAP was not functional in libreswan 5.3. If you need EAP support, use 5.4.1 or later. Patches are available at https://libreswan.org/security/CVE-2026-77206/


Vendor Workaround

Apply the available patch or upgrade to a supported version. No configuration-based workaround is available.

Tracking

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Advisories

No advisories available
History
Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Libreswan
Libreswan libreswan
Vendors & Products Libreswan
Libreswan libreswan
Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'yes', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'partial'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description Libreswan's IKEv2 state machine has a null pointer dereference bug in the EAP handling code for authentication. As a result of inconsistency within the IKEv2 state machine code, this bug can be triggered by any IKEv2 connection, even if EAP is not configured at all. The error is caused by a fall-through where it incorrectly dereferences ike->sa.st_eap which is NULL. A malicious IKE_AUTH packet can trigger this bug, meaning the peer does not need to be authenticated. The bug results in a crash and restart of the pluto daemon. No remote code execution is possible. Continued exploitation can cause a denial of service.
Title IKEv2 pre-authentication Null Pointer Dereference in EAP code
Weaknesses CWE-476
References
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 7.5, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'}

Weaknesses

Sources

Status
PUBLISHED
Assigner
libreswan
Published
Updated
Oct 16, 2026, 3:31 PM
Reserved
Aug 20, 2026, 6:13 PM
Status
Awaiting Analysis
Published
Oct 13, 2026, 10:18 PM
Modified
Oct 16, 2026, 7:55 PM
Severity
Moderate
Public date
Oct 5, 2026, 12:00 AM