core: Improper Output Neutralization for Logs
CVE-2026-63442 is a high-severity improper output neutralization for logs vulnerability in core from Opnsense, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.1 out of 10. It can be exploited from the same local network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. Affected core versions: < 26.1.11. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.29% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Check which version of core you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
- Read the advisory on github.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
Affected products and versions
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- AdjacentThe attacker must be on the same local network segment.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- NoneNo account or login is needed.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
- Confidentiality
- NoneNo data is disclosed.
- Integrity
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- Availability
- HighThe component can be taken down completely.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H. Scored by CNA (github.com).
Official description
OPNsense is a FreeBSD based firewall and routing platform. Prior to version 26.1.11, the unauthenticated WebGUI login usernamefld accepts carriage-return and line-feed characters that survive LOG_AUTH processing through syslog-ng-lockout.conf into the syslog-ng program destination feeding lockout_handler. The consumer's readline() processing treats an injected fragment as a separate authentication event and selects the first syntactically valid IP address from the forged line. An attacker with network access to the login page can forge failure events for another IP, causing that IP to be added to the sshlockout PF table and its active states to be killed, or forge accepted events that reset an attacker's own brute-force counter. This can block administrative, DNS, gateway, or monitoring addresses and can bypass password-guessing lockout without authentication. This issue is fixed in version 26.1.11.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Improper Output Neutralization for Logs
The product constructs a log message from external input, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements when the message is written to a log file.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Inputs should be decoded and canonicalized to the application's current internal representation before being validated (CWE-180). Make sure that the application does not decode the same input twice (CWE-174). Such errors could be used to bypass allowlist validation schemes by introducing dangerous inputs after they have been checked.
More Improper Output Neutralization for Logs vulnerabilities (CWE-117)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: partial).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Patches and release notes
Other vulnerabilities in core
- 8.1 High severity
- 7.2 High severity
- 7.1 High severity
- 8.0 High severity
- 9.9 Critical severity
- 7.1 High severity
Recent Improper Output Neutralization for Logs vulnerabilities
- 7.9 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.2 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 8.1 High severity
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