CVE-2026-73256

CVE-2026-73256 is a critical-severity vulnerability with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.1. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-444.

Key facts

Description

Mongoose is an embedded web server and network library. Prior to 7.22, a remote unauthenticated attacker can exploit an HTTP/1.0 reverse-proxy deployment by sending a request with Transfer-Encoding: chunked and conflicting framing. The http_cb() function in src/http.c tests hm.proto.len with an impossible greater-than-eight condition even though mg_http_parse() requires an eight-byte protocol string, so is_http_1_0 is never set. Mongoose consequently processes chunked encoding that an HTTP/1.0 proxy can ignore, enabling request smuggling and unauthorized access or state changes. This issue is fixed in version 7.22.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-73256?
Mongoose is an embedded web server and network library. Prior to 7.22, a remote unauthenticated attacker can exploit an HTTP/1.0 reverse-proxy deployment by sending a request with Transfer-Encoding: chunked and conflicting framing. The http_cb() function in src/http.c tests hm.proto.len with an impossible greater-than-eight condition even though mg_http_parse() requires an eight-byte protocol string, so is_http_1_0 is never set. Mongoose consequently processes chunked encoding that an HTTP/1.0 proxy can ignore, enabling request smuggling and unauthorized access or state changes. This issue is fixed in version 7.22.
How severe is CVE-2026-73256?
CVE-2026-73256 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.1, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability none.
Is CVE-2026-73256 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (33rd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How do I fix CVE-2026-73256?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2026-73256 published?
CVE-2026-73256 was published on 2026-08-20 and last updated on 2026-08-21.

References

Other CWE-444 (HTTP Request/Response Smuggling) vulnerabilities

Browse all CWE-444 (HTTP Request/Response Smuggling) vulnerabilities →