CVE-2026-33215 | NATS is vulnerable to MQTT hijacking via Client ID

NATS-Server is a High-Performance server for NATS.io, a cloud and edge native messaging system. The nats-server provides an MQTT client interface. Prior to versions 2.11.15 and 2.12.5, Sessions and Messages can by hijacked via MQTT Client ID malfeasance. Versions 2.11.15 and 2.12.5 patch the issue. No known workarounds are available.

Published: 2026-03-24 Last update: 2026-03-26 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2026-33215 is rated Low Risk (27/100): CVSS Medium severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.01%). Mandatory action: Monitor for updates and reassess as exploit intelligence or EPSS changes.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2026-33215

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-03-25 0.01%

Full EPSS history (1 record total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2026-33215

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
6.5 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:L Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:L)
Might cause slowdowns, glitches, or partial disruption—not a full brick.
2.2 4.2 [email protected]
6.5 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:L)
Some sensitive info could get out, but not a total data dump.
Integrity (I:L)
Attackers could change some data, but it’s limited—not everything goes.
Availability (A:N)
Service keeps running; no real outage angle.
3.9 2.5 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2026-33215

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2026-33215

GHSA-fcjp-h8cc-6879 · Severity: medium · Ecosystem: go — NATS is vulnerable to MQTT hijacking via Client ID

OS Trackers for CVE-2026-33215

vendor priority summary link
alpine CVE-2026-33215: 1 source package rows (nats-server); 39 state rows across 2 repos (3.23-community, edge-community); fixed 2, open 37. https://security.alpinelinux.org/vuln/CVE-2026-33215
debian not yet assigned CVE-2026-33215 not yet assigned priority: Debian including 1 source packages (nats-server), 4 status rows across 4 suites (bookworm, forky, sid, trixie): open 2, resolved 2. https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2026-33215
redhat medium https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-33215
ubuntu medium CVE-2026-33215 medium priority: Ubuntu including 1 source packages (nats-server), 4 status rows across 4 suites (jammy, noble, questing, upstream): needs-triage 3, DNE 1. https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-33215

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2026-33215

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
linuxfoundation nats-server >= 2.0.0, < 2.11.15 cpe:2.3:a:linuxfoundation:nats-server:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
linuxfoundation nats-server >= 2.12.0, < 2.12.5 cpe:2.3:a:linuxfoundation:nats-server:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2026-33215

cvelogic Threat Intelligence