CVE-2026-55964: Chain intermediate CA:TRUE without keyCertSign accepted as a signing CA (temporary CA exemption)
Chain intermediate CA:TRUE without keyCertSign accepted as a signing CA. Intermediate CA certificates are required to have the keyCertSign key usage when a Key Usage extension is present, but chain-supplied temporary CAs (WOLFSSLTEMPCA) added while building a certificate path were previously exempted from this check, so an intermediate asserting CA:TRUE but lacking keyCertSign was accepted as a signing CA. The check now applies to chain-supplied temporary CAs as well; only operator-loaded root certificates (WOLFSSLUSERCA) and self-signed roots remain exempt. Per RFC 5280 an absent Key Usage extension implies all usages, so the requirement is enforced only when the extension is actually present (extKeyUsageSet). Affects the OpenSSL-compatibility certificate-path-building path (X509verifycert / X509STORE, OPENSSLEXTRA/OPENSSLALL), where untrusted chain intermediates are added as temporary CAs; native (non-OpenSSL-compat) certificate verification does not create temporary CAs and is unaffected. Within those builds, the check applies unless ALLOWINVALIDCERTSIGN is defined.
Affected Software
Remediation
Patch Available
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2026-55964?
CVE-2026-55964 has a medium severity score of 6.3.
What is the risk assessment for CVE-2026-55964?
CVE-2026-55964 is assessed with a risk rating of 29.
How do I fix CVE-2026-55964?
The recommended remedy for CVE-2026-55964 is to apply the available patch.
What software is affected by CVE-2026-55964?
CVE-2026-55964 affects the wolfSSL library.
What issue does CVE-2026-55964 describe?
CVE-2026-55964 describes a vulnerability where intermediate CA certificates without keyCertSign are mistakenly accepted as signing CAs.