CVE-2026-77206: IKEv2 pre-authentication Null Pointer Dereference in EAP code

Is it exploited?

Not on CISA's list. CISA has not added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog as of 29 Oct 2026. If CISA adds it, this page shows it as known exploited.

How likely is exploitation in the next 30 days?

0.7%

Up from 0.5% on 22 Oct 2026.

EPSS score, percentile 51.4 of all scored records. A probability estimated by FIRST, not a report of exploitation.

How severe?

7.5 High

CVSS v3.1 base score, given by the CNA

What should I do?

Upgrade to libreswan 5.3.3 or 5.4.1 or later. Full textSolution from the CVE record.

CISA has set no required action, because the vulnerability is not in KEV.

Advisories and patches (2)

Which versions are affected?

Affected

• 4.7 through 5.3.2
• 5.4 through 5.4

Unaffected 5.3.3; 5.4.1

Versions by product

Source: CISA KEV 2026.10.29, as of 29 Oct 2026; FIRST EPSS, as of 29 Oct 2026; CVE List, as of 29 Oct 2026. About the data.

What to do

Solution (from the CVE record)

Upgrade to libreswan 5.3.3 or 5.4.1 or later. Note that EAP was not functional in libreswan 5.3. If you need EAP support, use 5.4.1 or later. Patches are available at https://libreswan.org/security/CVE-2026-77206/

Workaround (from the CVE record)

Apply the available patch or upgrade to a supported version. No configuration-based workaround is available.

Advisories and patches

• Libreswan CVE-2026-77206 Patches (Patch)
• Libreswan Security Advisory CVE-2026-77206 (Vendor advisory)

This summary is based on the CVE record as of 29 Oct 2026. Check the vendor's advisory before you act: affected versions and fixes can change.

Affected products and versions

As listed in the CVE record.

Versions not listed are: unaffected.

Versions the record lists as unaffected: 5.3.3, 5.4.1.

Source: CVE List, as of 29 Oct 2026. About the data.

About this vulnerability

Libreswan's IKEv2 state machine has a null pointer dereference bug in the EAP handling code for authentication. As a result of inconsistency within the IKEv2 state machine code, this bug can be triggered by any IKEv2 connection, even if EAP is not configured at all. The error is caused by a fall-through where it incorrectly dereferences ike->sa.st_eap which is NULL. A malicious IKE_AUTH packet ca…

Summary: CVE record, as of 29 Oct 2026.

• CISA has not added CVE-2026-77206 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, as of 29 Oct 2026.
• The CVE record was published on 13 Oct 2026.
• The CVE record carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (High), given by its CNA.
• FIRST's EPSS model puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.7% (percentile 51.4), as of 29 Oct 2026. EPSS is a statistical estimate, not a report of exploitation.
• CISA's SSVC assessment in the CVE record: exploitation none, automatable yes, technical impact partial.
• The credits in the CVE record name Anthropic (Claude) as finder.

Source: CISA KEV 2026.10.29, as of 29 Oct 2026; CVE List, as of 29 Oct 2026; FIRST EPSS, as of 29 Oct 2026. About the data.

Description

IKEv2 pre-authentication Null Pointer Dereference in EAP code

Libreswan's IKEv2 state machine has a null pointer dereference bug in the EAP handling code for authentication. As a result of inconsistency within the IKEv2 state machine code, this bug can be triggered by any IKEv2 connection, even if EAP is not configured at all. The error is caused by a fall-through where it incorrectly dereferences ike->sa.st_eap which is NULL. A malicious IKE_AUTH packet can trigger this bug, meaning the peer does not need to be authenticated. The bug results in a crash and restart of the pluto daemon. No remote code execution is possible. Continued exploitation can cause a denial of service.

Source: CVE List, as of 29 Oct 2026. About the data.

Timeline