CVE catalog

CVE-2026-71885

In Bouncy Castle for Java before 1.86, the Messaging…

In Bouncy Castle for Java before 1.86, the Messaging Layer Security (MLS, RFC 9420) implementation did not bind an X.509 credential to a LeafNode's signature_key. LeafNode.verify() checked a leaf's signature against the signature_key carried in the leaf itself, while the credential's X.509 certificate chain was stored but never parsed or validated, so the end-entity certificate's public key was never required to match signature_key as RFC 9420 sec. 5.3 requires. A party could therefore present another party's certificate as its credential while signing the leaf, and the enclosing KeyPackage, with an unrelated key, and be accepted under that other party's identity through KeyPackage.verify() and the Group leaf-validation path. In a deployment that admits external commits without an independent credential-admission check, an unauthenticated attacker could be admitted under a victim's X.509 identity, evict the victim (resynchronization compares whole credentials rather than signing keys), derive the current epoch, decrypt subsequent group messages, and send messages accepted as the victim. TreeKEM.LeafNode now requires the end-entity certificate's subject public key, in the cipher suite's signature encoding, to equal signature_key for an X.509 credential and rejects the leaf otherwise, including an empty chain or a certificate whose key type does not match the cipher suite; certificate-chain and identity validation to a trust anchor remain the application's responsibility per RFC 9420 sec. 5.3.1. Deployments using only basic credentials are unaffected.

Severity: Critical · CVSS 9.2CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:Amber
Published: Oct 3, 2026, 9:17:04 AM UTC
Updated: Oct 3, 2026, 9:17:04 AM UTC
Source: [NVD] · [CVE record]
EPSS: 0.20% · Oct 27, 2026

Projects and upstream resources

[bouncycastle][Source-reported homepage]

Reported versions and fixes

Each observation applies to its named package, distribution, and release. Distribution backports can fix a vulnerability while retaining an older upstream version number.

Version impact has not been established. The original provider fields are retained below.

Provider details and historical evidence

Original provider fields

{
  "package_releases": [
    {
      "name": "bouncycastle",
      "status": "fixed",
      "release": "sid",
      "version": "1.86.2-1"
    },
    {
      "name": "bouncycastle",
      "status": "fixed",
      "release": "forky",
      "version": "1.86-1"
    },
    {
      "name": "bouncycastle",
      "status": "vulnerable",
      "release": "trixie",
      "version": "1.80-3"
    },
    {
      "name": "bouncycastle",
      "status": "vulnerable",
      "release": "bookworm",
      "version": "1.72-2"
    }
  ],
  "fixed_versions": [
    {
      "bug": null,
      "name": "bouncycastle",
      "type": "source",
      "origin": null,
      "release": "sid",
      "urgency": "not yet assigned",
      "fixed_version": "1.86-1"
    },
    {
      "bug": null,
      "name": "bouncycastle",
      "type": "source",
      "origin": null,
      "release": "forky",
      "urgency": "not yet assigned",
      "fixed_version": "1.86-1"
    },
    {
      "bug": null,
      "name": "bouncycastle",
      "type": "source",
      "origin": null,
      "release": "trixie",
      "urgency": "not yet assigned",
      "fixed_version": ""
    },
    {
      "bug": null,
      "name": "bouncycastle",
      "type": "source",
      "origin": null,
      "release": "bookworm",
      "urgency": "not yet assigned",
      "fixed_version": ""
    }
  ],
  "distribution_packages": []
}

OpenFactory catalog packages

Matching against OpenFactory catalog package versions is in progress.

[Debian 12 (Bookworm)]

[libbcjmail-java]Unknown
Source package: [bouncycastle]
Details (2)
- 1.72-2 · all · bookworm
  Affected
  nvd · bouncycastle · debian · bookworm; nvd · bouncycastle · debian · 12
- 1.72-2 · all · bookworm
  Affected
  nvd · bouncycastle · debian · bookworm; nvd · bouncycastle · debian · 12
[libbcmail-java]Unknown
Source package: [bouncycastle]
Details (2)
- 1.72-2 · all · bookworm
  Affected
  nvd · bouncycastle · debian · bookworm; nvd · bouncycastle · debian · 12
- 1.72-2 · all · bookworm
  Affected
  nvd · bouncycastle · debian · bookworm; nvd · bouncycastle · debian · 12
[libbcpg-java]Unknown
Source package: [bouncycastle]
Details (2)
- 1.72-2 · all · bookworm
  Affected
  nvd · bouncycastle · debian · bookworm; nvd · bouncycastle · debian · 12
- 1.72-2 · all · bookworm
  Affected
  nvd · bouncycastle · debian · bookworm; nvd · bouncycastle · debian · 12
[libbcpkix-java]Unknown
Source package: [bouncycastle]
Details (2)
- 1.72-2 · all · bookworm
  Affected
  nvd · bouncycastle · debian · bookworm; nvd · bouncycastle · debian · 12
- 1.72-2 · all · bookworm
  Affected
  nvd · bouncycastle · debian · bookworm; nvd · bouncycastle · debian · 12
[libbcprov-java]Unknown
Source package: [bouncycastle]
Details (2)
- 1.72-2 · all · bookworm
  Affected
  nvd · bouncycastle · debian · bookworm; nvd · bouncycastle · debian · 12
- 1.72-2 · all · bookworm
  Affected
  nvd · bouncycastle · debian · bookworm; nvd · bouncycastle · debian · 12
[libbctls-java]Unknown
Source package: [bouncycastle]
Details (2)
- 1.72-2 · all · bookworm
  Affected
  nvd · bouncycastle · debian · bookworm; nvd · bouncycastle · debian · 12
- 1.72-2 · all · bookworm
  Affected
  nvd · bouncycastle · debian · bookworm; nvd · bouncycastle · debian · 12
[libbcutil-java]Unknown
Source package: [bouncycastle]
Details (2)
- 1.72-2 · all · bookworm
  Affected
  nvd · bouncycastle · debian · bookworm; nvd · bouncycastle · debian · 12
- 1.72-2 · all · bookworm
  Affected
  nvd · bouncycastle · debian · bookworm; nvd · bouncycastle · debian · 12

[Debian 13 (Trixie)]

[libbcjmail-java]Unknown
Source package: [bouncycastle]
Details (2)
- 1.80-3 · all · trixie
  Affected
  nvd · bouncycastle · debian · 13
- 1.80-3 · all · trixie
  Affected
  nvd · bouncycastle · debian · 13
[libbcmail-java]Unknown
Source package: [bouncycastle]
Details (2)
- 1.80-3 · all · trixie
  Affected
  nvd · bouncycastle · debian · 13
- 1.80-3 · all · trixie
  Affected
  nvd · bouncycastle · debian · 13
[libbcpg-java]Unknown
Source package: [bouncycastle]
Details (2)
- 1.80-3 · all · trixie
  Affected
  nvd · bouncycastle · debian · 13
- 1.80-3 · all · trixie
  Affected
  nvd · bouncycastle · debian · 13
[libbcpkix-java]Unknown
Source package: [bouncycastle]
Details (2)
- 1.80-3 · all · trixie
  Affected
  nvd · bouncycastle · debian · 13
- 1.80-3 · all · trixie
  Affected
  nvd · bouncycastle · debian · 13
[libbcprov-java]Unknown
Source package: [bouncycastle]
Details (2)
- 1.80-3 · all · trixie
  Affected
  nvd · bouncycastle · debian · 13
- 1.80-3 · all · trixie
  Affected
  nvd · bouncycastle · debian · 13
[libbctls-java]Unknown
Source package: [bouncycastle]
Details (2)
- 1.80-3 · all · trixie
  Affected
  nvd · bouncycastle · debian · 13
- 1.80-3 · all · trixie
  Affected
  nvd · bouncycastle · debian · 13
[libbcutil-java]Unknown
Source package: [bouncycastle]
Details (2)
- 1.80-3 · all · trixie
  Affected
  nvd · bouncycastle · debian · 13
- 1.80-3 · all · trixie
  Affected
  nvd · bouncycastle · debian · 13

Observed: Oct 23, 2026, 7:46:37 PM UTC

References

[CERT-Bund public advisories] · [Debian Security Tracker] · [FIRST EPSS] · [National Vulnerability Database (NVD)] · [OSV Package Vulnerability Database] · [SUSE security advisories and VEX]