CVE-2026-44519 (CVSS 5.1)

Description

liboqs is a C-language cryptographic library that provides implementations of post-quantum cryptography algorithms. Prior to 0.16.0, the ct_select function in src/kem/frodokem/external/util.c for the FrodoKEM-640, FrodoKEM-976, and FrodoKEM-1344 AES and SHAKE reference variants lacks a value barrier in the Fujisaki-Okamoto implicit-rejection path. When compiled with Clang 17 or later at an affected optimization level such as -Os, the compiler can emit a secret-dependent conditional load, causing the real and rejection secret paths to leave distinguishable cache residency after successful and failed decapsulation. A local attacker able to perform repeated cache-timing measurements may use this oracle as part of a private-key recovery attack. Default -O3 builds vectorize both source loads and do not exhibit the reported behavior, and the advisory does not report the same generated memory-access pattern in NTRU, NTRU-Prime, BIKE, HQC, Classic McEliece, Kyber, or the already-barriered ML-KEM implementation. This issue is fixed in version 0.16.0.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

5.1

MEDIUM

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

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0012

Probability of exploitation

0.02%

Percentile rank

EPSS estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A higher score means more likely to be exploited.

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-385 CWE-385

References

Other References

https://github.com/open-quantum-safe/liboqs/commit/d95fc734f5de9bdfc80c8c65d8166b30e9cff5cd https://github.com/open-quantum-safe/liboqs/pull/2431 https://github.com/open-quantum-safe/liboqs/releases/tag/0.16.0 https://github.com/open-quantum-safe/liboqs/security/advisories/GHSA-5c97-hp95-vg56

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-44519? +

liboqs is a C-language cryptographic library that provides implementations of post-quantum cryptography algorithms. Prior to 0.16.0, the ct_select function in src/kem/frodokem/external/util.c for the FrodoKEM-640, FrodoKEM-976, and FrodoKEM-1344 AES and SHAKE reference variants lacks a value barrier in the Fujisaki-Okamoto implicit-rejection path. When compiled with Clang 17 or later at an affected optimization level such as -Os, the compiler can emit a secret-dependent conditional load, causing the real and rejection secret paths to leave distinguishable cache residency after successful and failed decapsulation. A local attacker able to perform repeated cache-timing measurements may use this oracle as part of a private-key recovery attack. Default -O3 builds vectorize both source loads and do not exhibit the reported behavior, and the advisory does not report the same generated memory-access pattern in NTRU, NTRU-Prime, BIKE, HQC, Classic McEliece, Kyber, or the already-barriered ML-KEM implementation. This issue is fixed in version 0.16.0. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.1 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2026-44519? +

CVE-2026-44519 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 5.1 out of 10, rated MEDIUM. This is a medium-severity vulnerability that should be remediated as part of regular maintenance. The EPSS score is 0.0012, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-44519? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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