CVE-2026-26315
Received Received - Intake
ECIES Key Exposure Vulnerability in go-ethereum Node Key

Publication date: 2026-02-19

Last updated on: 2026-02-23

Assigner: GitHub, Inc.

Description
go-ethereum (Geth) is a golang execution layer implementation of the Ethereum protocol. Prior to version 1.16.9, through a flaw in the ECIES cryptography implementation, an attacker may be able to extract bits of the p2p node key. The issue is resolved in the v1.16.9 and v1.17.0 releases of Geth. Geth maintainers recommend rotating the node key after applying the upgrade, which can be done by removing the file `<datadir>/geth/nodekey` before starting Geth.
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Meta Information
Published
2026-02-19
Last Modified
2026-02-23
Generated
2026-06-16
AI Q&A
2026-02-20
EPSS Evaluated
2026-06-15
NVD
CVE-2026-26315
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
ethereum go_ethereum to 1.16.9 (exc)
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-203 The product behaves differently or sends different responses under different circumstances in a way that is observable to an unauthorized actor, which exposes security-relevant information about the state of the product, such as whether a particular operation was successful or not.
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Executive Summary

The vulnerability exists in go-ethereum (Geth), a golang implementation of the Ethereum protocol. Before version 1.16.9, there was a flaw in the ECIES cryptography implementation that could allow an attacker to extract parts of the peer-to-peer (p2p) node key.

This flaw means that an attacker might gain partial access to the node's private key used for network communications.

The issue was fixed in versions 1.16.9 and 1.17.0 of Geth, and it is recommended to rotate the node key after upgrading by deleting the nodekey file before restarting Geth.

Impact Analysis

If exploited, this vulnerability could allow an attacker to extract bits of the p2p node key, potentially compromising the security of the node's network communications.

This could lead to unauthorized access or impersonation of the node within the Ethereum network, undermining trust and security.

Compliance Impact

I don't know

Detection Guidance

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Mitigation Strategies

To mitigate this vulnerability, you should upgrade your go-ethereum (Geth) software to version 1.16.9 or later, as the issue is resolved in versions 1.16.9 and 1.17.0.

After upgrading, it is recommended to rotate the node key by removing the file <datadir>/geth/nodekey before starting Geth again.

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