CVE-2026-53939
OpenIDC/cjose is a C library implementing the Javascript Object Signing and Encryption (JOSE).
Impact
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).
Affected products
| Product | Affected versions |
|---|---|
| Versions 0.6.1 | through 0.6.2.5 |
Versions were read from the advisory text. No structured product data has been published for this record yet.
Weakness classification
References
- NVD record
- CVE.org record
- https://github.com/OpenIDC/cjose/commit/2a6e5bd969fa20059fb00913fb9f57d77ea6a4d9
- https://github.com/OpenIDC/cjose/releases/tag/v0.6.2.6
- https://github.com/OpenIDC/cjose/security/advisories/GHSA-f6wf-pqg3-6wqq
- https://github.com/OpenIDC/cjose/security/advisories/GHSA-f6wf-pqg3-6wqq