Authenticated-attribute integrity bypass via mismatched CMS fields
Published Oct 3, 2026 · Updated Oct 3, 2026
Authenticated-attribute integrity bypass in Bouncy Castle Java before 1.86 lets attackers insert unverified CMS attributes into valid messages. CMSAuthenticatedDataParser chooses what the MAC covers from digestAlgorithm before reading authAttrs, then exposes inserted attributes even though the MAC covered only the content. Exploitation requires control of a message in transit and an application that trusts those attributes for a decision; the content remains MAC-bound.
Summary
What happened
Authenticated-attribute integrity bypass in Bouncy Castle Java before 1.86 lets attackers insert unverified CMS attributes into valid messages. CMSAuthenticatedDataParser chooses what the MAC covers from digestAlgorithm before reading authAttrs, then exposes inserted attributes even though the MAC covered only the content. Exploitation requires control of a message in transit and an application that trusts those attributes for a decision; the content remains MAC-bound.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-71888
- Published
- Oct 3, 2026
- Updated
- Oct 3, 2026
- Vendor
- Legion of the Bouncy Castle Inc.
- Product
- Bouncy Castle Java
- Classifications
- T1565.002
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Oct 3, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Oct 3, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=0 <1.86
- Affected versionversion=1.70 <1.86
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
No CVSS assessment is available in this record.
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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.
Activity data is delayed. The latest report is Sep 28, 2026.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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