# CVE-2026-58227: Erlang OTP uncontrolled recursion in ssl certificate chain building

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-58227-erlang-otp-uncontrolled-recursion-in-ssl-certificate-chain  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-07-27. Updated: 2026-07-27  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-58227 · Severity: info · CVSS 8.7 · Published 2026-07-27

A vulnerability in the Erlang/OTP SSL library allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to crash applications using TLS or DTLS. By sending a specially crafted certificate chain that contains circular references, an attacker can cause the system to run out of memory and stop responding. This affects both servers and clients that use Erlang's standard SSL/TLS implementation, potentially leading to a total service outage.

Vendors: [Erlang/OTP](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/erlang-otp).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-58227 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-58227 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-58227?** Informational severity, with a CVSS score of 8.7, published 27 July 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Erlang/OTP ssl application 23.2 before 29.0.4, 28.5.0.4, and 27.3.4.15.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-58227?** No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

**How is CVE-2026-58227 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-58227?** Check whether you run Erlang/OTP ssl application at an affected version. 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

The Erlang/OTP 'ssl' application fails to detect cycles or enforce depth limits when reconstructing incomplete peer certificate chains. Specifically, in 'ssl_certificate:handle_incomplete_chain/5', the application uses 'do_certificate_chain/7' to walk issuer relationships. If an attacker provides two mutually cross-signed certificates (e.g., A signs B and B signs A) in an unordered form, the functions recurse indefinitely. This leads to unbounded growth of the call stack and memory exhaustion, ultimately crashing the BEAM node. The attack can be launched by an unauthenticated remote peer during the TLS/DTLS handshake before authentication is completed. Patches are available in OTP versions 29.0.4, 28.5.0.4, and 27.3.4.15.

## Affected products

- Erlang OTP (ssl application) 23.2 before 29.0.4, 28.5.0.4, and 27.3.4.15

## Timeline

- 2026-07-03: other: Fix authored
- 2026-07-27: advisory: Vulnerability disclosed by Erlang Ecosystem Foundation

## References

- [https://github.com/](https://github.com/)
- [https://cna.erlef.org/cves/CVE-2026-58227.html](https://cna.erlef.org/cves/CVE-2026-58227.html)
- [https://github.com/erlang/otp/commit/0307bff2c72b685c6bd952daaac6bd661c247d62](https://github.com/erlang/otp/commit/0307bff2c72b685c6bd952daaac6bd661c247d62)
- [https://github.com/erlang/otp/commit/241d43703989fec4b6bf637beaeb366d92dcc4c2](https://github.com/erlang/otp/commit/241d43703989fec4b6bf637beaeb366d92dcc4c2)
- [https://github.com/erlang/otp/commit/7db64720177961e04545681480d691c4be81c54d](https://github.com/erlang/otp/commit/7db64720177961e04545681480d691c4be81c54d)
- [https://github.com/erlang/otp/security/advisories/GHSA-r5jr-mq46-vmhw](https://github.com/erlang/otp/security/advisories/GHSA-r5jr-mq46-vmhw)