Crypt::Age versions before 0.004 for Perl allow CPU exhaustion via an unbounded number of recipient stanzas, each costing an X25519 scalar multiplication in unwrap_file_key

MITRE NVD CVE.ORG JSON API

Summary

CVECVE-2026-85783
StatePUBLISHED
AssignerCPANSec
Source PriorityCVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback
Published2026-10-20 22:20:05 UTC
Updated2026-10-21 01:17:39 UTC
DescriptionCrypt::Age versions before 0.004 for Perl allow CPU exhaustion via an unbounded number of recipient stanzas, each costing an X25519 scalar multiplication in unwrap_file_key. The header parser accepts any number of recipient stanzas, and unwrap_file_key tries every identity against every X25519 stanza. Each attempt runs a scalar multiplication, an HKDF and a ChaCha20-Poly1305 open. The header MAC cannot be checked first, because its key comes from the file key, which only a successful unwrap produces. Each stanza is 98 bytes of attacker-chosen header and buys one scalar multiplication per identity held, and the file is rejected only after every one of them has run. A caller reaches this through decrypt, decrypt_file or decrypt_filehandle whenever it decrypts a file it did not write.

Risk And Classification

Problem Types: CWE-405 | CWE-770 | CWE-770 CWE-770 Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling | CWE-405 CWE-405 Asymmetric Resource Consumption (Amplification)

References

ReferenceSourceLinkTags
www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/10/20/39 af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 www.openwall.com
metacpan.org/release/GETTY/Crypt-Age-0.004/changes 9b29abf9-4ab0-4765-b253-1875cd9b441e metacpan.org
CVE Program record CVE.ORG www.cve.org canonical
NVD vulnerability detail NVD nvd.nist.gov canonical, analysis

Additional Advisory Data

Solutions

CNA: Upgrade to Crypt-Age 0.004 or later.

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