Denial of service via unbounded PKMAC iterations
Published Aug 3, 2026 · Updated Aug 3, 2026
Resource exhaustion in Bouncy Castle Java before 1.85 allows remote attackers to interrupt services using crafted CMP or CRMF messages. PKMACBuilder leaves its iteration ceiling disabled by default and feeds an unauthenticated PBMParameter count into an iterated-hash loop. Reachability requires verification of attacker-supplied password-MAC messages; Java LTS before 2.73.12 and FIPS bcpkix-fips before 1.0.12, 2.0.12, or 2.1.12 are also affected.
Summary
What happened
Resource exhaustion in Bouncy Castle Java before 1.85 allows remote attackers to interrupt services using crafted CMP or CRMF messages. PKMACBuilder leaves its iteration ceiling disabled by default and feeds an unauthenticated PBMParameter count into an iterated-hash loop. Reachability requires verification of attacker-supplied password-MAC messages; Java LTS before 2.73.12 and FIPS bcpkix-fips before 1.0.12, 2.0.12, or 2.1.12 are also affected.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-59647
- Published
- Aug 3, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 3, 2026
- Vendor
- Legion of the Bouncy Castle Inc.
- Product
- Bouncy Castle Java
- Classifications
- CWE-770, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 3, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 3, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.
Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=0 <1.85
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
Check the software in your environment
Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.
Book a demo