CVE-2026-13505
Received Received - Intake

Key Material Zeroization Flaw in Bouncy Castle FIPS for Java

Publication date: 2026-08-08

Last updated on: 2026-08-08

Assigner: bcorg

Description
In Bouncy Castle for Java FIPS (BC-FJA) before bc-fips 1.0.2.7 (1.0.X series), 2.0.2 (2.0.X series) and 2.1.3 (2.1.X series), sensitive key material held by the AES and DESede engines, the SP 800-90A DRBGs, SymmetricSecretKey and the PBKD and scrypt parameter classes was zeroised on garbage collection by overriding Object.finalize. Finalization runs at an unspecified time and in an unspecified order and is serviced by a single finalizer thread, so where objects carrying a finalizer are allocated faster than that thread retires them the pending-finalization queue grows without bound: disposal falls arbitrarily far behind, which can contribute to an OutOfMemoryError under load, and the key material those objects hold stays resident in the heap for as long as they are queued, defeating the purpose of the zeroisation. The behaviour was not a problem on Java 8 or Java 11; it is later JVMs, on which finalization has been deprecated and progressively de-emphasised, where it becomes one. Disposal of these classes now runs from a java.lang.ref.Cleaner registered in the multi-release jdk1.9 overlay, so on Java 9 and later it no longer depends on the finalizer being scheduled. Bouncy Castle for Java (bcprov) and Bouncy Castle for Java LTS are not affected, as neither implements the finalizer-based zeroisation scheme.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-08-08
Last Modified
2026-08-08
Generated
2026-08-08
AI Q&A
2026-08-08
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-13505
EUVD
EUVD-2026-54726

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
bouncy_castle bc-fja to 1.0.2.7|end_excluding=2.0.2|end_excluding=2.1.3 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-772 The product does not release a resource after its effective lifetime has ended, i.e., after the resource is no longer needed.

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Executive Summary

CVE-2026-13505 affects Bouncy Castle for Java FIPS (BC-FJA) versions before bc-fips 1.0.2.7, 2.0.2, and 2.1.3. Sensitive key material was zeroised on garbage collection using Object.finalize, which runs at an unspecified time and order. This led to potential memory issues and delayed clearing of key material, especially in Java 9+ where finalization is deprecated. The fix uses java.lang.ref.Cleaner for disposal in Java 9+.

Detection Guidance

To detect this vulnerability, check the version of Bouncy Castle for Java FIPS (BC-FJA) in use. If you are running versions before bc-fips 1.0.2.7, 2.0.2, or 2.1.3, the system is vulnerable. Use commands like 'mvn dependency:tree' in Maven projects or inspect the JAR files directly to verify the version.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability could allow local access to lingering key material in the heap, as zeroisation fails to occur promptly. It may also contribute to an OutOfMemoryError under load due to unbounded growth of the finalization queue. Systems relying on timely key material disposal could be compromised.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could impact compliance with standards like GDPR and HIPAA by potentially exposing sensitive key material in memory for extended periods due to delayed zeroisation. Unreliable finalization in Java 9+ may cause key material to remain resident in the heap, violating requirements for secure data handling and encryption key management.

Mitigation Strategies

Upgrade Bouncy Castle for Java FIPS (BC-FJA) to the latest patched versions: bc-fips 1.0.2.7, 2.0.2, or 2.1.3. Ensure your Java environment is running a supported version where the fix is effective. Monitor memory usage to detect potential OutOfMemoryError conditions caused by delayed finalization.

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