Is CVE-2026-12996 exploited in the wild?

No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-12996 being exploited in the wild.

How severe is CVE-2026-12996?

Informational severity, with a CVSS score of 6, published 30 July 2026.

Which products and versions are affected?

OpenVPN Inc. OpenVPN 2.6.0 through 2.6.20, 2.7_alpha1 through 2.7.4.

Is there a fix for CVE-2026-12996?

A patch was published on 2026-07-01: OpenVPN 2.6.21 and 2.7.5 released to address the issue. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

How is CVE-2026-12996 attacked?

It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

Am I affected by CVE-2026-12996?

Check whether anything you run is named in the advisory. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

CVE-2026-12996: OpenVPN use-after-free in TLS session handling

CVE-2026-12996 · Severity: info · CVSS 6 · Published 2026-07-30

OpenVPN is a widely used software for creating secure private network connections. A vulnerability has been identified where an authenticated user can send specially crafted data packets to cause the VPN service to crash or leak sensitive memory information. This could lead to a disruption of secure remote access for all users or the potential exposure of internal system data.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2026-12996 exploited in the wild?: No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-12996 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2026-12996?: Informational severity, with a CVSS score of 6, published 30 July 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?: OpenVPN Inc. OpenVPN 2.6.0 through 2.6.20, 2.7_alpha1 through 2.7.4.
Is there a fix for CVE-2026-12996?: A patch was published on 2026-07-01: OpenVPN 2.6.21 and 2.7.5 released to address the issue. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.
How is CVE-2026-12996 attacked?: It is attacked over the network, in a software library.
Am I affected by CVE-2026-12996?: Check whether anything you run is named in the advisory. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

Technical details

A use-after-free (CWE-416) and out-of-bounds read (CWE-125) vulnerability exists in OpenVPN's handling of TLS sessions. The flaw is triggered during TLS session promotion or expiry when processing crafted packets from a remote authenticated peer. An attacker with valid credentials can exploit this to cause a denial of service (application crash) or potentially leak memory contents. The vulnerability affects versions 2.6.0 through 2.6.20 and 2.7_alpha1 through 2.7.4. Patches are available in OpenVPN versions 2.6.21 and 2.7.5.

Affected products

OpenVPN Inc. OpenVPN 2.6.0 through 2.6.20, 2.7_alpha1 through 2.7.4

Timeline

2026-07-01: patched: OpenVPN 2.6.21 and 2.7.5 released to address the issue.
2026-07-30: disclosed: CVE-2026-12996 published.

References

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