diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index c0e34a14..4e400c65 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -96,6 +96,7 @@ option(ENABLE_DNSSEC "Enable support for SSHFP retrieval using DNSSEC for SSH (r
 option(ENABLE_PAM "Detect and use PAM" ON)
 option(ENABLE_COMMON_TARGETS "Define common custom target names such as 'doc' or 'uninstall', may cause conflicts when using add_subdirectory() to build this project" ON)
 option(ENABLE_IP_FREEBIND "Enable the IP_FREEBIND/IPV6_FREEBIND options on the listening TCP socket" OFF)
+option(ENABLE_COMPLY_WITH_ORAN_WG11 "Comply with the O-RAN WG11 security spec (e.g. enforce the clientAuth Extended Key Usage and the digitalSignature Key Usage on client certificates), non-default behavior" OFF)
 option(BUILD_SHARED_LIBS "By default, shared libs are enabled. Turn off for a static build." ON)
 set(READ_INACTIVE_TIMEOUT 20 CACHE STRING "Maximum number of seconds waiting for new data once some data have arrived")
 set(READ_ACTIVE_TIMEOUT 300 CACHE STRING "Maximum number of seconds for receiving a full message")
@@ -181,6 +182,11 @@ if(ENABLE_DNSSEC AND NOT ENABLE_SSH_TLS)
     set(ENABLE_DNSSEC OFF)
 endif()
 
+if(ENABLE_COMPLY_WITH_ORAN_WG11 AND NOT ENABLE_SSH_TLS)
+    message(WARNING "O-RAN WG11 compliance cannot be used without TLS support.")
+    set(ENABLE_COMPLY_WITH_ORAN_WG11 OFF)
+endif()
+
 if(ENABLE_VALGRIND_TESTS)
     find_program(VALGRIND_FOUND valgrind)
     if(NOT VALGRIND_FOUND)
@@ -309,6 +315,11 @@ if(ENABLE_SSH_TLS)
 
     # set compiler flag
     set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS} -DNC_ENABLED_SSH_TLS")
+
+    # comply with the O-RAN WG11 security spec (e.g. client cert Extended Key Usage and Key Usage checks)
+    if(ENABLE_COMPLY_WITH_ORAN_WG11)
+        set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS} -DCOMPLY_WITH_ORAN_WG11")
+    endif()
 endif()
 
 # dependencies - libval
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 16dceeaa..6308b753 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -137,6 +137,19 @@ interaction. Enable it with the following command.
 $ cmake -DENABLE_DNSSEC=ON ..
 ```
 
+### O-RAN WG11 Compliance
+
+By default, **libnetconf2** implements only the base YANG and NETCONF
+specifications. The O-RAN WG11 security specification (section 6.9.3) imposes
+additional requirements on the client certificate used for TLS authentication,
+namely that its end-entity certificate must carry the `clientAuth` Extended Key
+Usage and the `digitalSignature` Key Usage. This behavior is not part of the
+base specification, so it is disabled by default and can be enabled with the
+following command (requires TLS support).
+```
+$ cmake -DENABLE_COMPLY_WITH_ORAN_WG11=ON ..
+```
+
 ### Build Modes
 
 There are two build modes:
diff --git a/src/session_mbedtls.c b/src/session_mbedtls.c
index 81af476e..3b7854ef 100644
--- a/src/session_mbedtls.c
+++ b/src/session_mbedtls.c
@@ -789,6 +789,37 @@ nc_server_tls_verify_cb(void *cb_data, mbedtls_x509_crt *cert, int depth, uint32
     } else if (!ret) {
         /* success */
         if ((depth == 0) && (!data->session->opts.server.client_cert)) {
+#ifdef COMPLY_WITH_ORAN_WG11
+            /* WG11 6.9.3 / O-RAN: the end-entity (client) certificate MUST carry
+             * the clientAuth Extended Key Usage, so explicitly reject any leaf
+             * certificate lacking the clientAuth EKU extension. */
+            const mbedtls_x509_sequence *usage;
+            int has_client_auth = 0;
+
+            for (usage = &cert->ext_key_usage; usage && usage->buf.p; usage = usage->next) {
+                if (!MBEDTLS_OID_CMP(MBEDTLS_OID_CLIENT_AUTH, &usage->buf)) {
+                    has_client_auth = 1;
+                    break;
+                }
+            }
+            if (!has_client_auth) {
+                ERR(data->session, "Cert verify: fail (client certificate lacks the required clientAuth Extended Key Usage).");
+                *flags |= MBEDTLS_X509_BADCERT_EXT_KEY_USAGE;
+                return 0;
+            }
+
+            /* WG11 6.9.3 / O-RAN: the end-entity (client) certificate MUST also
+             * carry a Key Usage extension with the digitalSignature bit set (the
+             * client signs the CertificateVerify handshake message), so reject any
+             * leaf certificate missing the Key Usage extension or that bit. */
+            if (!mbedtls_x509_crt_has_ext_type(cert, MBEDTLS_X509_EXT_KEY_USAGE) ||
+                    mbedtls_x509_crt_check_key_usage(cert, MBEDTLS_X509_KU_DIGITAL_SIGNATURE)) {
+                ERR(data->session, "Cert verify: fail (client certificate lacks the required digitalSignature Key Usage).");
+                *flags |= MBEDTLS_X509_BADCERT_KEY_USAGE;
+                return 0;
+            }
+#endif /* COMPLY_WITH_ORAN_WG11 */
+
             /* copy the client cert */
             data->session->opts.server.client_cert = nc_tls_cert_dup(cert);
             if (!data->session->opts.server.client_cert) {
diff --git a/src/session_openssl.c b/src/session_openssl.c
index b21ea994..5d93059d 100644
--- a/src/session_openssl.c
+++ b/src/session_openssl.c
@@ -463,6 +463,49 @@ nc_server_tls_verify_cb(int preverify_ok, X509_STORE_CTX *x509_ctx)
     } else if (!ret) {
         /* success */
         if ((depth == 0) && (!data->session->opts.server.client_cert)) {
+#ifdef COMPLY_WITH_ORAN_WG11
+            /* WG11 6.9.3 / O-RAN: the end-entity (client) certificate MUST carry
+             * the clientAuth Extended Key Usage, so explicitly reject any leaf
+             * certificate lacking the clientAuth EKU extension. */
+            {
+                EXTENDED_KEY_USAGE *eku = X509_get_ext_d2i(cert, NID_ext_key_usage, NULL, NULL);
+                int has_client_auth = 0, i;
+
+                if (eku) {
+                    for (i = 0; i < sk_ASN1_OBJECT_num(eku); ++i) {
+                        if (OBJ_obj2nid(sk_ASN1_OBJECT_value(eku, i)) == NID_client_auth) {
+                            has_client_auth = 1;
+                            break;
+                        }
+                    }
+                    EXTENDED_KEY_USAGE_free(eku);
+                }
+                if (!has_client_auth) {
+                    ERR(data->session, "Cert verify: fail (client certificate lacks the required clientAuth Extended Key Usage).");
+                    return 0;
+                }
+            }
+
+            /* WG11 6.9.3 / O-RAN: the end-entity (client) certificate MUST also
+             * carry a Key Usage extension with the digitalSignature bit set (the
+             * client signs the CertificateVerify handshake message), so reject any
+             * leaf certificate missing the Key Usage extension or that bit. */
+            {
+                ASN1_BIT_STRING *ku = X509_get_ext_d2i(cert, NID_key_usage, NULL, NULL);
+                int has_digital_signature = 0;
+
+                if (ku) {
+                    /* bit 0 of the Key Usage bit string is digitalSignature */
+                    has_digital_signature = ASN1_BIT_STRING_get_bit(ku, 0);
+                    ASN1_BIT_STRING_free(ku);
+                }
+                if (!has_digital_signature) {
+                    ERR(data->session, "Cert verify: fail (client certificate lacks the required digitalSignature Key Usage).");
+                    return 0;
+                }
+            }
+#endif /* COMPLY_WITH_ORAN_WG11 */
+
             /* copy the client cert */
             data->session->opts.server.client_cert = X509_dup(cert);
             NC_CHECK_ERRMEM_RET(!data->session->opts.server.client_cert, 0);