ReviewCritical

CVE-2026-73256

cesanta mongoose

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...

CVSS
9.1
EPSS
-
- percentile
CISA KEV
Not listed
Published
2026.08.21
PRIORITY ASSESSMENT

Review

The CVSS severity warrants an early asset and exposure review.

Known exploitationNot established by KEV
Exploit probability-
Technical severityCVSS 9.1

Vulnerability overview

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...

Affected product and versions

Product
cesanta mongoose
Affected versions
< 7.22
Fixed versions
No verified fixed-version field is available yet

Recommended response sequence

Confirm exposure before applying a vendor-supported change.

Full remediation guide
  1. 1
    Identify

    Confirm that cesanta mongoose and an affected version are present.

  2. 2
    Prioritize

    Combine exploitation signals with asset exposure and business criticality.

  3. 3
    Remediate

    Follow the vendor advisory or supported update path and preserve rollback options.

  4. 4
    Verify

    Recheck the version, service health, access paths, and relevant logs.

Technical data

CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
CWE
CWE-444