Vulnerability Description
liboqs is a C-language cryptographic library that provides implementations of post-quantum cryptography algorithms. Prior to 0.16.0, an out-of-bounds read has been identified in the XMSS and XMSS^MT stateful signature verification code. When the verification function is called with a signature buffer shorter than the expected signature size for the given parameter set, the implementation does not validate the caller-supplied length and proceeds to read past the end of the buffer. The out-of-bounds bytes are consumed only as input to an internal hash computation and are not returned to the caller, so no oracle exists to leak their contents to an attacker. The primary observable effect is a possible crash (denial of service) of the verifying process if the read crosses into an unmapped memory page. This vulnerability is fixed in 0.16.0.
CVSS Score
MEDIUM
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| Openquantumsafe | Liboqs | <= 0.15.0 |
Related Weaknesses (CWE)
References
- https://github.com/open-quantum-safe/liboqs/commit/ef70dea7c85e5637f37828d75e5b9Patch
- https://github.com/open-quantum-safe/liboqs/security/advisories/GHSA-wf7v-fhxj-7PatchVendor Advisory
FAQ
What is CVE-2026-44518?
CVE-2026-44518 is a vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.3 (MEDIUM). liboqs is a C-language cryptographic library that provides implementations of post-quantum cryptography algorithms. Prior to 0.16.0, an out-of-bounds read has been identified in the XMSS and XMSS^MT s...
How severe is CVE-2026-44518?
CVE-2026-44518 has been rated MEDIUM with a CVSS base score of 5.3/10. Review the CVSS metrics above for detailed severity breakdown.
Is there a patch for CVE-2026-44518?
Check the references section above for vendor advisories and patch information. Affected products include: Openquantumsafe Liboqs.