Nimiq: Out-of-bounds panic in KeyNibbles::Add from oversized child suffix in a deserialized proof
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2026-54542 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | GitHub_M |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2026-09-14 16:17:12 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-09-30 17:51:56 UTC |
| 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. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v3.1 3.7 LOW from [email protected]
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
EPSS: 0.004430000 probability, percentile 0.360520000 (date 2026-09-29)
Problem Types: CWE-125 | CWE-125 CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read
| Version | Source | Type | Score | Severity | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | [email protected] | Secondary | 3.7 | LOW | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L |
| 3.1 | CNA | DECLARED | 3.7 | LOW | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L |
CVSS v3.1 Breakdown
Attack Vector
NetworkAttack Complexity
HighPrivileges Required
NoneUser Interaction
NoneScope
UnchangedConfidentiality
NoneIntegrity
NoneAvailability
LowCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
Vendor Declared Affected Products
| Source | Vendor | Product | Version | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNA | Nimiq | Core-rs-albatross | affected < 1.6.0 | Not specified |
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| github.com/nimiq/core-rs-albatross/pull/3790 | [email protected] | github.com | |
| github.com/nimiq/core-rs-albatross/security/advisories/GHSA-5rg2-xv9j-gv5p | [email protected] | github.com | |
| github.com/nimiq/core-rs-albatross/releases/tag/v1.6.0 | [email protected] | github.com | |
| github.com/nimiq/core-rs-albatross/commit/eabfc3e21731b0628c3f933163a0f1... | [email protected] | github.com | |
| CVE Program record | CVE.ORG | www.cve.org | canonical |
| NVD vulnerability detail | NVD | nvd.nist.gov | canonical, analysis |
No vendor comments have been submitted for this CVE.
There are currently no legacy QID mappings associated with this CVE.