---
id: "CVE-2026-118780"
kind: "vulnerability"
aliases: ["CVE-2026-118780"]
title: "node-forge: failed chain check can permanently drop trusted CA certificates"
severity: "low"
cvss: 3.7
epss: null
exploited: false
status: "open"
category: "package"
products: []
ecosystems: []
tags: ["javascript", "node-forge", "package", "tls"]
not_affected_if: ["fresh-store-per-check", "no-chain-verification"]
published_at: "2026-10-29T19:17:20+00:00"
first_seen_at: "2026-10-29T19:26:47+00:00"
updated_at: "2026-10-29T19:27:33+00:00"
sources: [{"source": "nvd", "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-118780", "first_seen_at": "2026-10-29T19:26:47+00:00"}]
---

# node-forge: failed chain check can permanently drop trusted CA certificates

node-forge, a JavaScript TLS and crypto library, modifies its CA store when certificates share a subject name during chain verification. A failed verification can permanently remove trusted CAs, so later valid chains fail, which breaks availability for apps that reuse the store.

_Summary, check and fix written by a model from the sources; labelled as such._

## How to check

- Find `node-forge` in `package-lock.json`, `yarn.lock` or `pnpm-lock.yaml` and read the resolved version.
- Check whether the app calls `pki.createCaStore()` and reuses that store across requests.
- Run `npm ls node-forge` to see every copy in the dependency tree.

## Fix

- `node-forge` `1.4.1`

## Timeline

- 2026-10-29T19:26:47+00:00 nvd https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-118780

## From the sources

Forge (also called node-forge) is a native implementation of Transport Layer Security in JavaScript. Prior to 1.4.1, the affected implementation used pki.verifyCertificateChain(), pki.createCaStore(), duplicate subject names to process the relevant input or security decision. node-forge modified the CA store while trying certificates that shared a subject name during pki.verifyCertificateChain(). A failed chain verification could permanently remove trusted CA certificates from the store, causing later valid chains to fail and creating a persistent availability impact for applications that reused the store. This issue is fixed in version 1.4.1.

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_Free to read at a human pace. An API with keys and an MCP server are in preparation; early access: hello@infrastack.ai_