Vulnerability Description
In RNP version 0.18.0 a refactoring regression causes the symmetric session key used for Public-Key Encrypted Session Key (PKESK) packets to be left uninitialized except for zeroing, resulting in it always being an all-zero byte array. Any data encrypted using public-key encryption in this release can be decrypted trivially by supplying an all-zero session key, fully compromising confidentiality. The vulnerability affects only public key encryption (PKESK packets). Passphrase-based encryption (SKESK packets) is not affected. Root cause: Vulnerable session key buffer used in PKESK packet generation. The defect was introduced in commit `7bd9a8dc356aae756b40755be76d36205b6b161a` where initialization logic inside `encrypted_build_skesk()` only randomized the key for the SKESK path and omitted it for the PKESK path.
CVSS Score
HIGH
Related Weaknesses (CWE)
References
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/cve-2025-13402
- https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/rnp
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2415863
- https://github.com/rnpgp/rnp/commit/7bd9a8dc356aae756b40755be76d36205b6b161a
- https://github.com/rnpgp/rnp/releases/tag/v0.18.1
- https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/rnp
- https://open.ribose.com/advisories/ra-2025-11-20/
- https://packages.gentoo.org/packages/dev-util/librnp
FAQ
What is CVE-2025-13470?
CVE-2025-13470 is a vulnerability with a CVSS score of 7.5 (HIGH). In RNP version 0.18.0 a refactoring regression causes the symmetric session key used for Public-Key Encrypted Session Key (PKESK) packets to be left uninitialized except for zeroing, resulting in it...
How severe is CVE-2025-13470?
CVE-2025-13470 has been rated HIGH with a CVSS base score of 7.5/10. Review the CVSS metrics above for detailed severity breakdown.
Is there a patch for CVE-2025-13470?
Check the references section above for vendor advisories and patch information. Review vendor security bulletins for remediation guidance.