CVE-2026-34580: Botan has a certificate authentication bypass due to trust anchor confusion

Published Apr 7, 2026
·
Updated

Botan is a C++ cryptography library. In 3.11.0, the function CertificateStore::certificateknown had a misleading name; it would return true if any certificate in the store had a DN (and subject key identifier, if set) matching that of the argument. It did not check that the cert it found and the cert it was passed were actually the same certificate. In 3.11.0 an extension of path validation logic was made which assumed that certificateknown only returned true if the certificates were in fact identical. The impact is that if an end entity certificate is presented, and its DN (and subject key identifier, if set) match that of any trusted root, the end entity certificate is accepted immediately as if it itself were a trusted root. , This vulnerability is fixed in 3.11.1.

Affected Software

2 affected components
Botan Botan=3.11.0
Botan Project Botan=3.11.0

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Upgrade

    Upgrade Botan to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 3.11.1

Event History

Apr 7, 2026
CVE Published
via MITRE·09:12 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·09:12 PM
DescriptionWeakness
Data Sourced
via Red Hat·10:02 PM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Data Sourced
via NVD·10:16 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2026-34580?

CVE-2026-34580 has been classified as a high severity vulnerability due to its potential for certificate authentication bypass.

2

How do I fix CVE-2026-34580?

To mitigate CVE-2026-34580, upgrade Botan to version 3.11.1 or later, where the issue has been addressed.

3

What does CVE-2026-34580 affect?

CVE-2026-34580 specifically affects Botan version 3.11.0, which is a C++ cryptography library.

4

What is the main issue with CVE-2026-34580?

The main issue with CVE-2026-34580 is the certificate authentication bypass due to trust anchor confusion within the library.

5

Is CVE-2026-34580 exploitable?

Yes, CVE-2026-34580 is considered exploitable as it allows bypassing certificate authentication, potentially leading to unauthorized access.

Contact

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