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Vulnerabilities

Vulnerability · CVE-2026-44518

liboqs is a C-language cryptographic library that provides implementations of post-quantum cryptography algorithms.

Published May 29, 2026 · catalog updated Jul 21, 2026 · liboqs is a C-language

Check if you run it

No confirmed exploitation is on record for CVE-2026-44518. EPSS is 0.30%. Act only if a listed version of liboqs is a C-language is installed.

Gaps on this record

  • The stored product name is a package slug. The name on this page is taken from the title (liboqs is a C-language).
  • No version range is stored. A customer cannot check an installed version against this record.
  • No vendor fix or required action is stored. Compare the linked advisory before you change production.
Severity
Medium5.3
Known exploitation
Not in CISA/VulnCheck KEV
EPSS
0.30%
Remediation
Advisory link
Affected products
cpe openquantumsafe/liboqs

liboqs is a C-language cryptographic library that provides implementations of post-quantum cryptography algorithms. Prior to 0.16.0, an out-of-bounds read has been identified in the XMSS and XMSS^MT stateful signature verification code. When the verification function is called with a signature buffer shorter than the expected signature size for the given parameter set, the implementation does not validate the caller-supplied length and proceeds to read past the end of the buffer. The out-of-bounds bytes are consumed only as input to an internal hash computation and are not returned to the caller, so no oracle exists to leak their contents to an attacker. The primary observable effect is a possible crash (denial of service) of the verifying process if the read crosses into an unmapped memory page. This vulnerability is fixed in 0.16.0.

Are you affected?

Enter the version you run. The result uses only the ranges stored on this record.

The check returns affected, not affected, or incomplete. It does not guess a version that is missing from the record.

  • cpe openquantumsafe/liboqsversion unspecified

How to fix CVE-2026-44518

What to do

Three questions, each answered from this record only. Confirm the vendor advisory before you patch.

Should you patch?

No confirmed exploitation is on record for CVE-2026-44518. EPSS is 0.30%. Act only if a listed version of liboqs is a C-language is installed.

Which versions are affected?

Affected version ranges are not on this record. Compare the installed version with the linked vendor advisory before you change production.

What should an analyst verify?

CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read; CWE-20: Improper Input Validation. EPSS 0.30%. There is no CISA KEV listing. No Exploit-DB or Metasploit reference is linked. Use the source links for the original advisory.

Code

The project this record applies to. Exploit listings stay in References.

Timeline

Detection, updates, and resolution for this record.

  1. May 29, 2026 · NIST NVD

    Detected

    liboqs is a C-language cryptographic library that provides implementations of post-quantum cryptography algorithms. Prior to 0.16.0, an out-of-bounds read has been identified in the XMSS and XMSS^MT stateful signature verification code. When the verification function is called with a signature buffer shorter than the expected signature size for the given parameter set, the implementation does not

  2. Jul 21, 2026 · NIST NVD

    Updated

    liboqs is a C-language cryptographic library that provides implementations of post-quantum cryptography algorithms. Prior to 0.16.0, an out-of-bounds read has been identified in the XMSS and XMSS^MT stateful signature verification code. When the verification function is called with a signature buffer shorter than the expected signature size for the given parameter set, the implementation does not

Sources

  • CVE.orgVulnerability recordCVE-2026-44518

    Official CVE identifier

    cve.org
  • FIRST EPSSExploitation probabilityCVE-2026-44518

    30-day exploitation probability 0.3%

    first.org
  • NIST NVDVulnerability recordCVE-2026-44518

    liboqs is a C-language cryptographic library that provides implementations of post-quantum cryptography algorithms. Prior to 0.16.0, an out-of-bounds read has been identified in the XMSS and XMSS^MT stateful signature verification code. When the verification function is called wi

    nvd.nist.gov

References

Freshness

Last verified in this catalog Oct 18, 2026. Significant claims (KEV, EPSS, CVSS, affected ranges) come from the source rows above — open the original publisher for the authoritative advisory.