CVE-2026-56624
Improper certificate validation in Apache MINA SSHD (server-side).
Does this matter?
High impact if exploited, but EPSS currently rates exploitation as unlikely (0.29%). Schedule it in the normal patch cycle and watch for a rise in EPSS or a public exploit.
Description
Improper certificate validation in Apache MINA SSHD (server-side). Apache MINA SSHD is a Java library for client-side and server-side SSH. Server-side OpenSSH user certificate validation during user authentication in an Apache MINA SSHD server did not check for the unsupported force-command or verify-required options that could be embedded in the certificate, nor did it validate these options. As a result it was possible that a user could authenticate with such a certificate that included a force-command option but still was able to execute other commands. What other command exactly would be available to the user depends on the implementation of the server. This issue is fixed in Apache MINA SSHD 2.19.0 and 3.0.0-M5. Applications are advised to upgrade to these versions. The fix rejects OpenSSH user certificates that include these options, since Apache MINA SSHD implements neither force-command nor sk-*-cert-v01@openssh.com user certificates (which are the only ones for which verify-required would make sense).
- CVSS 3.1
- 7.3 HIGHCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
- EPSS
- 0.29% probability · 21th percentile
- CISA KEV
- Not listed
- Weakness
- CWE-295
- Affected
- apache/mina sshd
- Source
- security@apache.org
References
- https://lists.apache.org/thread/o4c2jml522j3z80gbryqzc2f1253ltp6Vendor Advisory, Mailing List
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/07/20/17Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
Source: NVD record, EPSS from FIRST.org, KEV from CISA. Refreshed daily.