CVE-2026-119189
Forge: X.509 pathLenConstraint not enforced by verifyCertificateChain() for CA certificates without keyUsage
Forge (also called node-forge) is a native implementation of Transport Layer Security in JavaScript. Prior to 1.4.1, node-forge enforced an X.509 CA certificate's basicConstraints.pathLenConstraint only when that certificate also carried a keyUsage extension. Exploitation requires a path-length-constrained CA without keyUsage that chains to a root trusted by the application, and an attacker who holds that CA's private key or obtains a subordinate CA certificate from it. The attacker could then construct a chain exceeding the declared path length that still passed pki.verifyCertificateChain(). Public web PKI CA certificates normally include keyUsage; private PKIs with CA certificates created without it are more likely to be affected. This issue is fixed in version 1.4.1.
Fixes and workarounds
No remediation reported in collected sources.
Missing remediation information is not evidence that no patch exists.
Affected products and versions
| Product | Versions | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| forge digitalbazaar |
< 1.4.1 (affected) | CNA: GitHub_M |
Version ranges are source assertions. Check the vendor advisory and your installed configuration before determining exposure.
CVSS assessments
| Version / score | Vector | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| 3.1 / 5.9 medium |
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N | CNA: GitHub_M |
| 3.1 / 5.9 medium |
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N | NVD: [email protected] |
Exploit evidence
- https://github.com/digitalbazaar/forge/security/advisories/GHSA-h46v-rmh6-fq4f
exploit · ADP: CISA-ADP
References
- https://github.com/digitalbazaar/forge/security/advisories/GHSA-h46v-rmh6-fq4fCNA: GitHub_M · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://github.com/digitalbazaar/forge/commit/696db92348623e88cc63c35f0a89ede481d55ad0CNA: GitHub_M · x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/digitalbazaar/forge/releases/tag/v1.4.1CNA: GitHub_M · x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/digitalbazaar/forge/security/advisories/GHSA-h46v-rmh6-fq4fADP: CISA-ADP · exploit
- https://github.com/digitalbazaar/forge/commit/696db92348623e88cc63c35f0a89ede481d55ad0[email protected]
- https://github.com/digitalbazaar/forge/releases/tag/v1.4.1[email protected]
- https://github.com/digitalbazaar/forge/security/advisories/GHSA-h46v-rmh6-fq4f[email protected]
- https://github.com/digitalbazaar/forge/security/advisories/GHSA-h46v-rmh6-fq4f134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
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