CVE-2026-54542 — LOW (3.7) — White Hats Nepal

Vulnerability Description

Nimiq is a Rust implementation of the Nimiq Proof-of-Stake protocol based on the Albatross consensus algorithm. Prior to 1.6.0, a malicious state-sync peer can crash a syncing node by sending a crafted TrieChunk whose proof contains a TrieNodeChild suffix that is individually valid but exceeds the 63-byte KeyNibbles backing array when combined with the parent key. KeyNibbles::Add in primitives/src/key_nibbles.rs performs the combined slice operation without checking the total length, and the input reaches put_chunk, TrieNodeChild::key, and TrieNodeChild::is_stump before proof.verify, so the attacker does not need a valid cryptographic proof. Exploitation requires the attacker to be selected as the victim's sync peer during state sync. The resulting out-of-bounds panic is transient because the node restarts and resynchronizes. This issue is fixed in version 1.6.0.

CVSS Score

3.7

LOW

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L

Attack Vector

NETWORK

Attack Complexity

HIGH

Privileges Required

NONE

User Interaction

NONE

Scope

UNCHANGED

Confidentiality

NONE

Integrity

NONE

Availability

LOW

Related Weaknesses (CWE)

CWE-125

References

FAQ

What is CVE-2026-54542?

CVE-2026-54542 is a vulnerability with a CVSS score of 3.7 (LOW). Nimiq is a Rust implementation of the Nimiq Proof-of-Stake protocol based on the Albatross consensus algorithm. Prior to 1.6.0, a malicious state-sync peer can crash a syncing node by sending a crafte...

How severe is CVE-2026-54542?

CVE-2026-54542 has been rated LOW with a CVSS base score of 3.7/10. Review the CVSS metrics above for detailed severity breakdown.

Is there a patch for CVE-2026-54542?

Check the references section above for vendor advisories and patch information. Review vendor security bulletins for remediation guidance.