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HCL Notes Client CVE-2026-108015

| EUVDEUVD-2026-111218 CRITICAL
Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm (CWE-327)
2026-10-27 HCL GHSA-m39m-j83g-9vrj
9.1
CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: HCL
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Gain on-path/MITM network position
  2. Exploit
    Present server cert signed by compromised eMudhra intermediate CA
  3. Execution
    Notes Client validates and trusts spoofed TLS chain
  4. Impact
    Intercept and modify outbound TLS content

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A04:2025 - Cryptographic Failures
ASVS 5.0
V11 - Cryptography Approved algorithm selection
Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires two concrete preconditions: (1) the attacker must hold an on-path/man-in-the-middle position on the Notes Client's outbound network path (the AT:P attack requirement - e.g., control of a network segment, rogue access point, or traffic redirection), and (2) one or more of the eight compromised eMudhra intermediate CA certificates must still be present and trusted in the client's certificate trust chain used for outbound TLS. No authentication is needed (PR:N) and no user interaction is required (UI:N). Limiting factors: exploitation is not possible from an arbitrary remote host without the on-path position, and applying the vendor update (HCL KB0134749), which removes trust in the compromised CAs, closes the vector; the version data supplied is garbled and must be confirmed against the HCL advisory.

Impact

The source assigns CVSS 9.1 (4.0) and a vuln.today decision label of act_now, both signaling high priority, and the vector's AV:N/PR:N/UI:N confirms a remote, unauthenticated, no-interaction flaw with high confidentiality and integrity impact (VC:H/VI:H). However, the vector also carries AT:P - an attack requirement - which reflects that the attacker must achieve an on-path/man-in-the-middle position for the compromised eMudhra intermediate CA certificates to be abused; this is a meaningful real-world constraint that the headline 9.1 obscures. No EPSS score is provided, so exploitation probability cannot be quantified. There is no CISA KEV listing and no verified public exploit, so this is not confirmed active exploitation; the trust-chain nature of the flaw favors targeted interception over opportunistic mass exploitation. A vendor patch is available (HCL KB0134749). Net: a genuinely serious, patch-now issue per the vendor and decision framework, but its practical exploitation depends on the attacker already controlling or intercepting network traffic rather than on a directly reachable service, so prioritize the patch while recognizing the on-path precondition limits spray-and-pray abuse. Note the 'emudhra.we-have-a-problem.com' URL in the description is a placeholder/non-authoritative domain, not a verified intelligence source or PoC.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker who can intercept a Notes Client's outbound network traffic (e.g., on a shared/compromised network, rogue Wi-Fi, or via DNS/BGP redirection) presents a TLS server certificate signed by one of the eight compromised eMudhra intermediate CAs. Because the Notes Client still trusts that chain, the spoofed certificate is accepted and the attacker transparently intercepts and/or modifies the content of the client's outbound TLS connections. No public exploit identified at time of analysis; exploitation requires the attacker to first obtain an on-path position (reflected by AT:P).

Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Why: CRITICAL severity.
Patch available 0.1% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 28, 2026

HCL Notes Client trusts TLS server certificates chained to eight eMudhra intermediate CAs whose private keys have been compromised, so an attacker positioned on the client's outbound network path can present forged certificates and man-in-the-middle TLS traffic. The flaw is remote and requires no credentials or user interaction (AV:N/PR:N/UI:N), but it is not exploitable from an arbitrary host: the attacker must first achieve an on-path position (AT:P) and the compromised intermediate must still be trusted in the client's chain. Successful abuse yields high confidentiality and integrity impact on the intercepted sessions; the source rates it CVSS 9.1 (4.0) with a vuln.today decision of act_now, and no public exploit code was identified at time of analysis.

RemediationAI

Apply the vendor update described in HCL KB0134749 (https://support.hcl-software.com/csm?id=kb_article&sysparm_article=KB0134749); patch status is listed as available from vendor, and the fix works by removing trust in the compromised eMudhra intermediate CAs, which closes the spoofing path. The fixed levels referenced in the supplied data are 12.0.2 FP8 (shown as the corrupted token "<1=2.0.2 FP8"), 14.0 FP5, 14.5, and 14.5.1 FP1 - treat these as advisory-derived and verify the exact build numbers and the full branch list against the HCL article, since the version string as delivered is malformed. Because exploitation also requires an on-path position and continued presence of the compromised intermediates in the client trust store, interim risk reduction means removing or blacklisting those eight eMudhra intermediate certificates from the Notes Client trust configuration, at the cost of breaking TLS to any legitimate service still chaining through them, and tightening outbound paths (managed networks, VPN, certificate-pinned proxies) so arbitrary on-path interception is harder to obtain. Verify after updating that the intermediates are no longer trusted, and treat any outbound TLS session established before the fix as potentially intercepted.

Affected VersionsENISA

Notes Client <1=2.0.2 FP8, ≤14.0 FP5, 14.5, ,≤14.5.1 FP1

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Technical ContextAI · show details

TLS certificate validation depends on a chain of trust terminating in a trusted root, with intermediate CAs permitted to issue leaf certificates for any name in their scope. Because the private keys of eight eMudhra intermediate CA certificates are compromised, anyone holding those keys can mint certificates that chain to a still-trusted root and will be accepted by any client that keeps the intermediates in its trust store - the classic broken-certificate-or-key management failure mapped to CWE-327. HCL Notes Client performs outbound TLS validation using that trust store, so the weakness manifests as certificate spoofing rather than a memory-safety or injection defect: there is no malformed packet to send, the attacker simply answers the client's connection with a certificate the client wrongly considers valid. The CVSS 4.0 vector's AT:P (attack requirements present) is the formal expression of the two gates: an on-path/network-redirection position and continued trust in the compromised intermediates. Note that the CPE string (cpe:2.3:a:hclsoftware:notes_client:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*) is version-agnostic, and the affected-version strings in the available sources are corrupted, so the exact vulnerable build set must be read off the HCL advisory.

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Severity by source

Vendor (HCL) PRIMARY 9.1 CRITICAL
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
vuln.today AI 7.4 HIGH

On-path MITM positioning is required so AC:H; unauthenticated and no interaction (PR:N/UI:N); interception and modification of TLS give C:H/I:H with no availability impact.

3.1 AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (HCL).

CVSS VectorVendor: HCL

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Attack Requirements
Present
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Vulnerable system: Confidentiality
High
Vulnerable system: Integrity
High
Vulnerable system: Availability
None
Subsequent system: Confidentiality
None
Subsequent system: Integrity
None
Subsequent system: Availability
None

Lifecycle Timeline

2
Patch available
Oct 27, 2026 - 18:18 EUVD
CVE Published
Oct 27, 2026 - 16:53 cve.org
CRITICAL 9.1

DescriptionCVE.org

Private keys for eight eMudhra intermediate CA certificates have been compromised https://emudhra.we-have-a-problem.com/ , which impacts certificate trust for outbound network request features of HCL Notes Client.  An unauthenticated network attacker could spoof server certificates to execute a man in the middle (MITM) attack, enabling them to intercept and/or modify the content of outbound TLS connections.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

The HCL Notes Client incorrectly trusts eight compromised eMudhra intermediate CAs, enabling an on-path attacker to intercept and potentially modify TLS-protected communications. This affects all users of the client, exposing sensitive business data and raising the risk of data breaches, regulatory violations, and reputational harm. Leadership should prioritize remediation to protect confidentiality and integrity of corporate communications.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.1%
Top 98% exploitable
Prevalence
Medium
enterprise collaboration/email client with moderate, declining real-world footprint
Data Quality
4 sources
Confidence: Medium

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity CRITICAL
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.1%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
CRITICAL severity
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable· derived
Yes
Human Impact
High

Priority Score

46
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +46
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.

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