CVE-2026-69248
Description
A flaw was found in python-cryptography versions 46.0.6 through 48.x. The X.509 verifier incorrectly handles wildcard DNS Subject Alternative Names when evaluating permitted name constraints: a leaf SAN such as *.example.com may be accepted under a more specific permitted subtree (for example foo.example.com), allowing escape to sibling names outside the permitted set. This can lead to acceptance of an invalid certificate chain. Ordinary Web PKI topologies are not affected. This issue is fixed in 49.0.0.
Statement
Red Hat rates this Moderate. Exploitation requires a DNS-constrained intermediate CA that issues a broader wildcard leaf SAN than its permitted subtree, which Web PKI does not use. First affected upstream version is 46.0.6 (PR #14542); fixed in 49.0.0 (PR #14888 / GHSA-m2h6-j472-rp4c).
Mitigation
Red Hat is not aware of a practical temporary workaround that fully mitigates this issue or meets Red Hat Product Security's standards for usability, deployment, applicability, or stability. Customers are advised to apply the relevant security updates when/if they become available.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 7.4 | N/A | N/A |
| Attack Vector | Network | N/A | N/A |
| Attack Complexity | High | N/A | N/A |
| Privileges Required | None | N/A | N/A |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | N/A |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | N/A |
| Confidentiality | High | N/A | N/A |
| Integrity Impact | High | N/A | N/A |
| Availability Impact | None | N/A | N/A |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Integrity,Authentication
Technical Impact: Bypass Protection Mechanism; Gain Privileges or Assume Identity
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 product might connect to a malicious host while believing it is a trusted host, or the product might be deceived into accepting spoofed data that appears to originate from a trusted host.
Acknowledgements
Red Hat would like to thank Jack Lloyd for reporting this issue.
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