CVE-2026-70367
Description
A Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) bypass vulnerability exists in “stunnel” 5.79 and lower when configured in SOCKS proxy mode. This flaw allows a client to bypass intended localhost restrictions by using IPv4-mapped IPv6 addresses (e.g., “::ffff:127.0.0.1”) or unspecified addresses ("0.0.0.0", "::"), enabling access to loopback-only services on the "stunnel" host that should not be network-reachable.
Statement
When configured with "protocol = socks", which is a non-default setting, an attacker able to reach the SOCKS server can send requests that will get proxied to localhost. This potentially exposes services bound to the local interface of the "stunnel" host. Exploitation depends on the presence and security of such local services. A SOCKS proxy is intentionally a general-purpose network access facility and should always be deployed with appropriate firewall policies and client authorization, i.e., there should be no untrusted users accessing a SOCKS proxy.
Mitigation
To mitigate this issue, if SOCKS proxying functionality is not required, disable the "protocol = socks" configuration in "stunnel". If SOCKS proxying is necessary, restrict access to the SOCKS listener by binding it to a trusted management network or localhost, and enforce client authentication or network ACL controls. Run "stunnel" in a container or network namespace where no other services are bound to localhost, or add firewall rules to restrict outgoing connections from "stunnel" to localhost.
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).
The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 5.4 | N/A | N/A |
| Attack Vector | Network | N/A | N/A |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | N/A |
| Privileges Required | Low | N/A | N/A |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | N/A |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | N/A |
| Confidentiality | Low | N/A | N/A |
| Integrity Impact | Low | N/A | N/A |
| Availability Impact | None | N/A | N/A |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Read Application Data
Integrity
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands
Access Control
Technical Impact: Bypass Protection Mechanism
By providing URLs to unexpected hosts or ports, attackers can make it appear that the server is sending the request, possibly bypassing access controls such as firewalls that prevent the attackers from accessing the URLs directly. The server can be used as a proxy to conduct port scanning of hosts in internal networks, use other URLs such as that can access documents on the system (using file://), or use other protocols such as gopher:// or tftp://, which may provide greater control over the contents of requests.
Acknowledgements
This issue was discovered by Found by AISLE in partnership with Red Hat.
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