CVE-2026-17507: MLS membership checks compare a uint32 leaf_index as signed, admitting an out-of-range sender
Noroxi assessment
Priority: Monitor (action score 34/100)
- The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
- Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.42% (FIRST EPSS).
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. No account or password is required. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
- According to CISA the attack is automatable: targets can be found by mass scanning.
- Fixed version: Legion of the Bouncy Castle Inc. BC-JAVA 1.86.
Low priority for now. Upgrade to Legion of the Bouncy Castle Inc. BC-JAVA 1.86 or later.
Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it
Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS
In Bouncy Castle for Java before 1.86, the MLS implementation (org.bouncycastle.mls) holds RFC 9420's uint32 leaf_index in a signed int, so a wire value with the top bit set decodes to a negative number. That is a legitimate encoding rather than malformed input, and it must still decode, since the MLS interop test vectors round-trip the full range. GroupKeySet.SecretTree.hasLeaf and Group.validateRemove compared the decoded value directly against the tree's leaf count, and a signed comparison treats any negative int as less than a positive bound, so an out-of-range sender passed the membership check. In the hasLeaf case the SenderData of an unprotected PrivateMessage could then drive LeafIndex.directPath through NodeIndex.parent() arithmetic that never reaches the tree root, growing the resulting node list without bound until the JVM exhausted its heap. A single small message from any current group member could therefore deny service to every other member of the group. Both comparisons now interpret the value as unsigned via Integer.toUnsignedLong, rejecting an out-of-range sender however it was encoded; well-formed leaf indices are unaffected.
- Published
- Oct 2, 2026
- Updated
- Oct 14, 2026
- EPSS
- 0.4% · 36th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-195
Report tools
Action score
34
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 34 / 40 · 8.7 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 0 / 30 · 0.4%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- none
- Automatable
- yes
- Technical impact
- partial
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
CNA vs NVD score
- NVD
- —
- CNA · bcorg
- 8.7
- NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/U:Amber
The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.
Get told when this record changes
- Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
- No public exploit code on record
- A fix has been released
If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.
Is your version affected? Check itNoroxi analysis
What does it mean in your environment?
The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.
We use this product, ask for helpAffected systems
Is your version affected?
Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| bouncycastle | bc-java | cpe:2.3:a:bouncycastle:bc-java |
Versions reported by the vendor
Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (bcorg). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.
Legion of the Bouncy Castle Inc. BC-JAVA
- 1.73 and later · before 1.86affected · maven
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- bouncycastle bc-java1.73 and later · before 1.86
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | bouncycastle | from 0 | — |
| Debian:14 | bouncycastle | before 1.86-1 | 1.86-1 |
| openSUSE:Leap 16.0 | bouncycastle | before 1.86-160000.1.1 | 1.86-160000.1.1 |
| openSUSE:Tumbleweed | bouncycastle | before 1.86-1.1 | 1.86-1.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP7 | bouncycastle | before 1.86-150200.3.41.1 | 1.86-150200.3.41.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 16.0 | bouncycastle | before 1.86-160000.1.1 | 1.86-160000.1.1 |
Same product
bouncycastle: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2017-13098BouncyCastle JCE TLS Bleichenbacher/ROBOT60This week
- CVE-2007-6721The Legion of the Bouncy Castle Java Cryptography API before release 1.38, as used in Crypto Provider Package before 1.36, has unknown…41Plan
- CVE-2018-1000613Legion of the Bouncy Castle Legion of the Bouncy Castle Java Cryptography APIs 1.58 up to but not including 1.60 contains a CWE-470: Use of…40Plan
Published before and after this one in the same product
- ← EarlierCVE-2026-59644Aug 3, 2026 · MLS hash-ratchet honours arbitrary 32-bit generation counter from sender34Monitor
- ← EarlierCVE-2026-59652Aug 3, 2026 · LDAP filter injection in legacy jdk1.4 LDAPStoreHelper27Monitor
- ← EarlierCVE-2026-12852Aug 3, 2026 · MLS wire decoder allocates attacker-declared opaque length before bounds check34Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Legion of the Bouncy Castle Inc. BC-JAVA | 1.86 | Vendor (CNA) |
| debian:bouncycastle | 1.86-1 · Debian:14 | Package registry (OSV) |
| opensuse:bouncycastle | 1.86-1.1 · openSUSE:Tumbleweed | Package registry (OSV) |
| suse:bouncycastle | 1.86-150200.3.41.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP7 | Package registry (OSV) |
| suse:bouncycastle | 1.86-160000.1.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 16.0 | Package registry (OSV) |
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
- Published
- Fix recordedsame day
- TodayNov 13, 2026+42 d
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
- Mirko Swillus on behalfAlpha-Omega (alpha-omega.dev), using Scrutineer with an Anthropic Claude model provided through Project Glasswingreporter
Not on record for this CVE: variant or chain candidate · public bounty program.
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
- No account or password is required.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- Integrity
- Availability
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- X
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-195 · Signed to Unsigned Conversion ErrorCVSS vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/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
nvd-secondary
Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.
Change log
- SSVC exploitation— → none
- Exploit maturity— → none
- Fix✗ → ✓
For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →
References
Show all references (1 more)Show less
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.