---
id: CVE-2026-85424
title: >-
  MOOS core-moos through 10.4.0 lacks authentication in the wire protocol,
  allowing unauthenticated clients to connect with full publish, subscribe, and
  database clear privileges
summary: >-
  MOOS core-moos through 10.4.0 lacks authentication in the wire protocol,
  allowing unauthenticated clients to connect with full publish, subscribe, and
  database clear privileges. Attackers can bypass the compile-time protocol
  string check…
severity: critical
cvss: 9.8
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H'
cwe:
  - CWE-306
published: '2026-09-03'
updated: '2026-09-08'
sourceUpdated: '2026-09-08T20:07:17.943'
source: NVD
sourceUrl: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-85424'
references:
  - url: 'https://github.com/themoos/core-moos'
    label: disclosure@vulncheck.com
  - url: >-
      https://github.com/themoos/core-moos/blob/ec9c77c68fcbdef8f5e4c60fe243acd223433f0c/Core/libMOOS/DB/MOOSDB.cpp#L1163
    label: disclosure@vulncheck.com
  - url: >-
      https://github.com/themoos/core-moos/commit/5ff5cdec44242156a168cc1a545a6a21357bd3ac
    label: disclosure@vulncheck.com
  - url: 'https://github.com/themoos/core-moos/pull/84'
    label: disclosure@vulncheck.com
  - url: >-
      https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/moos-core-moos-through-10.4.0-missing-authentication-for-moosdb-publish-subscribe-and-db-clear
    label: disclosure@vulncheck.com
tags:
  - nvd
epss: 0.00818
epssPercentile: 0.55349
ingestedAt: '2026-09-05T21:45:15.500Z'
---

## Overview

MOOS core-moos through 10.4.0 lacks authentication in the wire protocol, allowing unauthenticated clients to connect with full publish, subscribe, and database clear privileges. Attackers can bypass the compile-time protocol string check and connect with arbitrary client names to execute privileged operations including DB_CLEAR which resets all variables and clears client mail queues.

## Remediation

Refer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.