CVE-2026-65629
Received Received - Intake

Use of Password Hash With Insufficient Computational Effort in jose Library

Publication date: 2026-10-26

Last updated on: 2026-10-26

Assigner: EEF

Description
Use of Password Hash With Insufficient Computational Effort in the jose library allows an attacker who obtains a password-encrypted private-key export to recover the private key through an offline password-cracking attack. When jose exports a password-encrypted private key with jose_jwk:to_der/2 (JOSE.JWK.to_der/2), the jose_jwk_der:to_binary/3 function in src/jwk/jose_jwk_der.erl serializes the key as a PKCS#8 EncryptedPrivateKeyInfo using the PBES2 scheme with hardcoded key-derivation parameters: PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA256 with an iteration count of 2048 and an 8-byte (64-bit) random salt. Neither value can be overridden by the caller. Both values are far below current guidance (OWASP recommends on the order of 600,000 iterations for PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA256, and NIST recommends salts of at least 128 bits), so the key-stretching work factor is roughly 300 times lower than intended and the short salt reduces the cost of precomputation across keys. The symmetric encryption (AES-256-CBC with a 16-byte random IV) is not affected; the weakness is entirely in the derivation strength. An attacker who obtains one of these exported blobs (for example from a backup, configuration repository, object storage, or logs) can mount a cheap offline dictionary or brute-force attack against the export password, and success yields the full private key. This issue affects jose: from 1.10.0 before 1.11.13.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-10-26
Last Modified
2026-10-26
Generated
2026-10-26
AI Q&A
2026-10-26
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-65629
EUVD
EUVD-2026-110308

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 2 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
potatosalad jose 1.10.0
potatosalad jose 85fddd89ee56b6f9c19eff7d9cfffeef62c330b9

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-916 The product generates a hash for a password, but it uses a scheme that does not provide a sufficient level of computational effort that would make password cracking attacks infeasible or expensive.

Attack-Flow Graph

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability involves the jose library using weak password-based key derivation when exporting private keys. It hardcodes PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA256 with only 2048 iterations and an 8-byte salt, which is far below recommended security standards (OWASP suggests 600,000 iterations and NIST recommends 128-bit salts). This makes offline password-cracking attacks roughly 300 times easier, allowing attackers to recover private keys if they obtain an exported encrypted blob.

Impact Analysis

If an attacker gains access to a password-encrypted private key export (e.g., from backups, logs, or repositories), they can perform an offline brute-force or dictionary attack to recover the private key. This could lead to unauthorized access, data breaches, or impersonation if the private key is used for authentication or encryption.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability likely violates compliance requirements for strong cryptographic practices. GDPR and HIPAA mandate adequate security measures to protect sensitive data. Weak key derivation undermines encryption strength, potentially exposing personal or health data to unauthorized access, leading to regulatory penalties or legal consequences.

Mitigation Strategies
  • Upgrade the jose library to version 1.11.13 or later to address the weak PBKDF2 parameters.
  • Avoid using password-based key exports; use stronger encryption tools like OpenSSL with properly configured KDF parameters instead.
  • If upgrading is not possible, restrict access to any exported encrypted private keys to prevent unauthorized access.
  • Use long, high-entropy passphrases for any existing password-protected keys to increase resistance against brute-force attacks.

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