CVE-2026-59993: Null Dereference (CVSS 6.5)

Description

Picotls is a TLS protocol library that allows users select different crypto backends based on their use case. In affected revisions through 44bc503, when picotls is used as a `client-side TLS stack`, a peer can send a `HelloRetryRequest` followed by a `spoofed Hello message` that causes a null-pointer dereference. This can terminate the consuming process, including a process performing other work, resulting in denial of service. This issue is fixed in commit a06ca41.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

6.5

MEDIUM

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0025

Probability of exploitation

0.16%

Percentile rank

EPSS estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A higher score means more likely to be exploited.

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-476 CWE-476

References

Other References

https://github.com/h2o/picotls/commit/a06ca417a16f9126808bf5cabe6c5e6e0f16ecae https://github.com/h2o/picotls/pull/608 https://github.com/h2o/picotls/security/advisories/GHSA-2xcv-h2pg-m99c

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-59993? +

Picotls is a TLS protocol library that allows users select different crypto backends based on their use case. In affected revisions through 44bc503, when picotls is used as a `client-side TLS stack`, a peer can send a `HelloRetryRequest` followed by a `spoofed Hello message` that causes a null-pointer dereference. This can terminate the consuming process, including a process performing other work, resulting in denial of service. This issue is fixed in commit a06ca41. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2026-59993? +

CVE-2026-59993 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 6.5 out of 10, rated MEDIUM. This is a medium-severity vulnerability that should be remediated as part of regular maintenance. The EPSS score is 0.0025, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-59993? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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