Description
The ecc_256_modp function in ecc-256.c in Nettle before 3.2 does not properly handle carry propagation and produces incorrect output in its implementation of the P-256 NIST elliptic curve, which allows attackers to have unspecified impact via unknown vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-8805.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | nettle | 3.2-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | nettle | 3.2-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | nettle | 3.2-1 | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 14.04 LTS | nettle | 2.7.1-1ubuntu0.1 | USN-2897-1 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 7 | nettle +1 | 2.7.1-8.el7 | RHSA-2016:2582 |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES 12 SP1 | libnettle | 2.7.1-9.1 | SUSE-SU-2016:0455-1 |
| SLES 12 | libnettle | 2.7.1-9.1 | SUSE-SU-2016:0455-1 |
Show 2 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES for SAP 12 SP1 | libnettle | 2.7.1-9.1 | SUSE-SU-2016:0455-1 |
| SLES for SAP 12 | libnettle | 2.7.1-9.1 | SUSE-SU-2016:0455-1 |
Oracle Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oracle Linux 7 | nettle +1 | 2.7.1-8.el7 | ELSA-2016-2582 |
Advisories 5
- WID-SEC-2026-3113 Red Hat Enterprise Linux: Mehrere Schwachstellen ermöglichen Umgehen von Sicherheitsvorkehrungen BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Aug 31, 2026
- RHSA-2016:2582 Red Hat Security Advisory: nettle security and bug fix update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
- USN-2897-1 nettle vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Apr 22, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2016:0455-1 Security update for libnettle SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- ELSA-2016-2582 Moderate: nettle security and bug fix update (Oracle Linux 7) Oracle Linux Security Advisories (ELSA) · Nov 9, 2016
References
- openSUSE-SU-2016:0486 vendor-advisory
- https://blog.fuzzing-project.org/38-Miscomputations-of-elliptic-curve-scalar-multiplications-in-Nettle.html
- [nettle-bugs] 20151212 secp256 calculation bug (already fixed) mailing-list
- FEDORA-2016-8ee88aee21 vendor-advisory
- openSUSE-SU-2016:0477 vendor-advisory
- https://git.lysator.liu.se/nettle/nettle/commit/c71d2c9d20eeebb985e3872e4550137209e3ce4d
- USN-2897-1 vendor-advisory
- openSUSE-SU-2016:0475 vendor-advisory
- [oss-security] 20160202 Miscomputations of elliptic curve scalar multiplications in Nettle mailing-list
- RHSA-2016:2582 vendor-advisory
- FEDORA-2016-89968f88d2 vendor-advisory
- FEDORA-2016-aa00f0631d vendor-advisory
- [info-gnu] 20160128 ANNOUNCE: Nettle-3.2 mailing-list
- [oss-security] 20160202 Re: Miscomputations of elliptic curve scalar multiplications in Nettle mailing-list