# CVE-2026-79896: Fortra BoKS Manager out-of-bounds read in TLS parser

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-79896-fortra-boks-manager-contains-an-out-of-bounds-read-vulnerability  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-10-01. Updated: 2026-10-05  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-79896 · Severity: high · CVSS 7.5 · Published 2026-10-01

Fortra BoKS Manager is a privileged account and session management system used to control access to critical infrastructure. A remote attacker can send a malformed TLS handshake to crash the boks_portmux service, causing temporary service interruption; repeated attacks can sustain the outage and prevent legitimate users from accessing managed systems.

Technologies: [Fortra BoKS Manager](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/boks-manager). Vendors: [Fortra](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/fortra).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-79896 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-79896 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-79896?** High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.5, published 1 October 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Fortra BoKS Manager.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-79896?** 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-2026-79896 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a network appliance.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-79896?** Check whether you run Fortra BoKS Manager. 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

An out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in the custom TLS ClientHello parser within boks_portmux, a network daemon. A remote unauthenticated attacker can trigger the vulnerability by submitting a malformed TLS ClientHello message, leading to a crash of the boks_portmux process. While automatic restart mechanisms normally recover the service, sustained attack traffic can maintain the denial of service.

## Affected products

- Fortra BoKS Manager

## Timeline

- 2026-10-01: disclosed

## References

- [https://www.fortra.com/security/advisories/product-security/fi-2026-016](https://www.fortra.com/security/advisories/product-security/fi-2026-016)

## Related threats

- [Fortra BoKS Manager insecure temporary file in bccgethostcert](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-79899-fortra-boks-manager-contains-an-insecure-temporary-file)
- [Fortra BoKS Manager command injection in crlserver](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-79898-fortra-boks-manager-contains-a-command-injection-vulnerability-in)
- [Fortra BoKS Manager OS command injection in client upgrade tooling](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-9863-fortra-boks-manager-os-command-injection-in-client-upgrade-tooling)