Vulnerability in OpenIDC/cjose (CVE-2026-53939)
Summary
Vulnerability in OpenIDC/cjose (CVE-2026-53939). Confidential information can be exposed externally. Exploitable via RAND_bytes.
Original description
The description as published by the source.
OpenIDC/cjose is a C library implementing the Javascript Object Signing and Encryption (JOSE). In versions 0.6.1 through 0.6.2.5, when cjose encrypts a JWE using an AES-CBC-HMAC content-encryption algorithm (A128CBC-HS256, A192CBC-HS384, or A256CBC-HS512) together with any key-management algorithm that generates a fresh content-encryption key (CEK), the CEK is all zero bytes instead of being randomly generated. The resulting JWE is therefore encrypted and authenticated under a fixed, publicly known key, so anyone who obtains the JWE can recover the plaintext and forge or modify the content. This is fixed in version 0.6.2.6 by _cjose_jwe_set_cek_aes_cbc() generating the CEK from RAND_bytes. A regression test asserts that the encrypted_key differs across two encryptions for each AES-CBC-HMAC variant. Until upgrading, for data encrypted with cjose, three options are available. Use an AES-GCM enc (A128GCM / A192GCM / A256GCM) instead of an AES-CBC-HMAC enc, use alg=dir with a caller-supplied CEK, or avoid using cjose for JWE encryption with the affected algorithm pair. These are mitigations for new ciphertexts only; data already encrypted under the zero key remains compromised and should be re-encrypted (and any secrets it contained rotated).
Source: NIST National Vulnerability Database NVD
Auto-generated summary
Assembled by SecPulse from the source data (CVSS, CWE, affected versions) using templates — no AI involved. Check the original description and references below for exact details.
A vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-53939 has been found in OpenIDC/cjose.
Attackers can target a specific entry point like RAND_bytes over the network to misuse the product.
Confidential information can be exposed externally. CVSS score: 9.1/10.
What to do: apply the vendor's official patched release.
If unsure, ask your IT team or search "OpenIDC/cjose CVE-2026-53939" on the vendor's site.
CVE-2026-53939 (OpenIDC/cjose) — CWE-321 / CVSS v3 9.1
Attack vector: remote (network-reachable) / unauthenticated / no user interaction
Attack surface: RAND_bytes / encrypted_key / enc / A128GCM
Plan: 1) Audit SBOM/dependencies, 2) Stage→prod upgrade, 3) Add WAF/proxy monitoring on affected endpoints, 4) Hunt IOCs in logs.
Refs: see the GHSA / vendor advisory / patched release linked on this page.
A vulnerability (CWE-321) exists in OpenIDC/cjose. Attackers reach the vulnerable code path via RAND_bytes without authentication.
Check the vendor advisory for the affected versions of OpenIDC/cjose. Attack surface: RAND_bytes / encrypted_key / enc / A128GCM.
Severity: Critical (CVSS 9.1/10). Confidential information can be exposed externally.
Update to the patched release per vendor advisory.
Until the patch is applied: disable the affected feature, apply WAF rules, or restrict access via network ACLs.
Search webserver/proxy logs for unusual request patterns matching this CVE's known IOCs. Run grep -r 'OpenIDC/cjose' . against your dependency files (package-lock.json, requirements.txt, go.sum) to find affected services.
Response actions
Concrete steps and command examples for SOC/SRE teams to execute in order
-
1Identify exposure identify
grep -r 'OpenIDC/cjose' . | grep -v node_modulesリポジトリと本番環境の依存ファイル (package-lock.json / requirements.txt / go.sum / Gemfile.lock 等) で
OpenIDC/cjoseを grep し、稼働しているサービス・バージョンを把握する。 -
2Post-deployment verification verify
Confirm patched version is live in productionパッチ適用後、ステージングで PoC または同等の悪用パターンを再現して脆弱性が閉じたことを確認。本番ではアクセスログ・WAF でアラート再発が無いか継続監視。
Fix status by distribution
Fixed packages published by each distribution for this CVE
- Debian DEBIAN-CVE-2026-53939 cjose
- Ubuntu UBUNTU-CVE-2026-53939 cjose