CVE-2026-53604 Details
Description
nebula-mesh is a self-hosted control plane for Slack Nebula mesh VPN. Prior to version 0.3.8, the web handler renderMobileBundle passes the real *pki.CAResolver directly into mobilebundle.Build. Inside Build, resolver.LoadByID decrypts the CA's ed25519 private key into a *pki.CAManager, but Build never calls CAManager.Wipe() on any return path. As a result, when a mobile-bundle request goes through the web UI and Build returns — especially on error (missing network, invalid prefix, DB error, signing failure) — the plaintext CA private key remains on the Go heap, unwiped, until garbage collection. An attacker able to read process memory (core dump, swap, memory-scraping) can recover the CA signing key, which would allow minting arbitrary host certificates for the mesh. The API handler already does this correctly: it loads the CAManager, defer caMgr.Wipe(), and wraps it in caManagerResolver. Only the web path is affected. This issue has been patched in version 0.3.8.
A vulnerability exists in Nebula Mesh VPN versions prior to 0.3.8, where the web handler for mobile bundle requests fails to properly manage the confidentiality of the Certificate Authority (CA) private key. The issue arises because the handler passes the CA resolver directly to the mobile bundle building process, which decrypts the CA's ed25519 private key. However, the building process does not call the necessary wipe function to remove the plaintext key from memory on any return path, including error scenarios. As a result, the unprotected key remains in memory until garbage collection, creating an opportunity for an attacker to extract the CA signing key through memory-scraping techniques. This key could then be used to forge host certificates for the mesh network.
Users can update to Nebula Mesh version 0.3.8 or later, where this vulnerability has been patched.
Metrics
CVSS 4.0 Severity and Vector Strings:
VolerionCVSS 3.x Severity and Vector Strings:
No data available for CVSS Version 2.0 on this CVE.
Volerion
Assessed Sep 4, 2026CISA-ADP
Assessed Sep 8, 2026References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
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| URL | Source(s) | Tag(s) |
|---|---|---|
| https://github.com/forgekeep/nebula-mesh/commit/1f1ab9aa8472239763d967e3d50a3cd53a1a79b9 | [email protected] | Source CodeVendor |
| https://github.com/forgekeep/nebula-mesh/releases/tag/v0.3.8 | [email protected] | Release NotesVendor |
| https://github.com/forgekeep/nebula-mesh/security/advisories/GHSA-2p2f-px33-4vv5 | [email protected] | AdvisoryRemedyVendor |
Weakness Enumeration
| CWE-ID | CWE Name | Source |
|---|---|---|
| CWE-212 | Improper Removal of Sensitive Information Before Storage or Transfer | [email protected] |
| CWE-316 | Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in Memory | [email protected] |
Affected Products
| Product | Versions |
|---|---|
| forgekeep nebula-mesh | <= 0.3.7 (semver) |
CPE
Remediation
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Change History
2 change records found show changes
| Date | Action | Recorded By |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 8, 2026 | CVE Modified | CISA-ADP |
| Sep 4, 2026 | New CVE Received | [email protected] |