NATS-Server is a High-Performance server for NATS.io, a cloud and edge native messaging system. Prior to versions 2.11.15 and 2.12.6, when using mTLS for client identity, with `verify_and_map` to derive a NATS identity from the client certificate's Subject DN, certain patterns of RDN would not be correctly enforced, allowing for authentication bypass. This does require a valid certificate from a CA already trusted for client certificates, and `DN` naming patterns which the NATS maintainers consider highly unlikely. So this is an unlikely attack. Nonetheless, administrators who have been very sophisticated in their `DN` construction patterns might conceivably be impacted. Versions 2.11.15 and 2.12.6 contain a fix. As a workaround, developers should review their CA issuing practices.

Project Subscriptions

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Advisories
Source ID Title
Github GHSA Github GHSA GHSA-3f24-pcvm-5jqc NATS has mTLS verify_and_map authentication bypass via incorrect Subject DN matching
Fixes

Solution

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Workaround

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History

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 20:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description NATS-Server is a High-Performance server for NATS.io, a cloud and edge native messaging system. Prior to versions 2.11.15 and 2.12.6, when using mTLS for client identity, with `verify_and_map` to derive a NATS identity from the client certificate's Subject DN, certain patterns of RDN would not be correctly enforced, allowing for authentication bypass. This does require a valid certificate from a CA already trusted for client certificates, and `DN` naming patterns which the NATS maintainers consider highly unlikely. So this is an unlikely attack. Nonetheless, administrators who have been very sophisticated in their `DN` construction patterns might conceivably be impacted. Versions 2.11.15 and 2.12.6 contain a fix. As a workaround, developers should review their CA issuing practices.
Title NATS has mTLS verify_and_map authentication bypass via incorrect Subject DN matching
Weaknesses CWE-287
CWE-295
References
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 4.2, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N'}


Projects

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cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: GitHub_M

Published:

Updated: 2026-03-25T20:18:28.923Z

Reserved: 2026-03-18T02:42:27.509Z

Link: CVE-2026-33248

cve-icon Vulnrichment

No data.

cve-icon NVD

Status : Received

Published: 2026-03-25T21:16:47.563

Modified: 2026-03-25T21:16:47.563

Link: CVE-2026-33248

cve-icon Redhat

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cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

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Weaknesses