CVE-2026-5598
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Timing Channel Vulnerability in BC-JAVA FrodoKEM Risks Key Leakage

Publication date: 2026-04-15

Last updated on: 2026-06-14

Assigner: bcorg

Description
Covert timing channel vulnerability in Legion of the Bouncy Castle Inc. BC-JAVA core on all (core modules). This vulnerability is associated with program files FrodoEngine.Java. This issue affects BC-JAVA: from 1.71 before 1.80.2, from 1.81 before 1.81.1, from 1.82 before 1.84.
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Meta Information
Published
2026-04-15
Last Modified
2026-06-14
Generated
2026-06-16
AI Q&A
2026-04-15
EPSS Evaluated
2026-06-15
NVD
CVE-2026-5598
EUVD
EUVD-2026-22872
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
legion_of_the_bouncy_castle_inc bc-java From 2.17.3 (inc) to 1.84 (exc)
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-385 Covert timing channels convey information by modulating some aspect of system behavior over time, so that the program receiving the information can observe system behavior and infer protected information.
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Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a covert timing channel issue in the Legion of the Bouncy Castle Inc. BC-JAVA core modules. It arises because certain cryptographic operations, specifically comparisons, are not performed in constant time. This non-constant time comparison can leak information about private keys used in the FrodoKEM algorithm, potentially allowing attackers to infer sensitive cryptographic material.

Impact Analysis

The impact of this vulnerability is severe as it can lead to the leakage of private cryptographic keys through timing analysis attacks. An attacker exploiting this flaw could recover private keys used in FrodoKEM, compromising the confidentiality and integrity of encrypted communications or data protected by these keys. This could result in unauthorized data access, data breaches, or the ability to impersonate legitimate users or systems.

Compliance Impact

The vulnerability involves a covert timing channel in BC-JAVA's core modules that risks private key leakage due to non-constant time comparisons in FrodoKEM.

Such private key leakage can potentially lead to unauthorized access or data breaches, which may impact compliance with data protection regulations like GDPR and HIPAA that require safeguarding sensitive information.

However, the provided context and resources do not explicitly discuss the direct impact of this vulnerability on compliance with these standards.

Mitigation Strategies

To mitigate this vulnerability, you should upgrade BC-JAVA to a version after 1.84, as the issue affects versions from 2.17.3 before 1.84.

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