Description
In Bouncy Castle for Java before 1.86, the MLS implementation (org.bouncycastle.mls) holds RFC 9420's uint32 leaf_index in a signed int, so a wire value with the top bit set decodes to a negative number. That is a legitimate encoding rather than malformed input, and it must still decode, since the MLS interop test vectors round-trip the full range. GroupKeySet.SecretTree.hasLeaf and Group.validateRemove compared the decoded value directly against the tree's leaf count, and a signed comparison treats any negative int as less than a positive bound, so an out-of-range sender passed the membership check. In the hasLeaf case the SenderData of an unprotected PrivateMessage could then drive LeafIndex.directPath through NodeIndex.parent() arithmetic that never reaches the tree root, growing the resulting node list without bound until the JVM exhausted its heap. A single small message from any current group member could therefore deny service to every other member of the group. Both comparisons now interpret the value as unsigned via Integer.toUnsignedLong, rejecting an out-of-range sender however it was encoded; well-formed leaf indices are unaffected.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legion of the Bouncy Castle | BC-JAVA | 1.73 – < 1.86 | 1.86 |
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 | bouncycastle | 1.86-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | bouncycastle | No fix yet | — |
| Debian 12 | bouncycastle | No fix yet | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 26.10 | bouncycastle | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | bouncycastle | No fix yet | — |
Show 5 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 24.04 LTS | bouncycastle | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 22.04 LTS | bouncycastle | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTS | bouncycastle | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTS | bouncycastle | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS | bouncycastle | No fix yet | — |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES 15 SP7 | bouncycastle | 1.86-150200.3.41.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:4797-1 |
| SLES 15 SP6 | bouncycastle | 1.86-150200.3.41.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:4797-1 |
| SLES 15 SP5 | bouncycastle | 1.86-150200.3.41.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:4797-1 |
| SLES 15 SP4 | bouncycastle | 1.86-150200.3.41.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:4797-1 |
Show 7 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES for SAP 16.0 | bouncycastle | 1.86-160000.1.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:24461-1 |
| SLES for SAP 15 SP6 | bouncycastle | 1.86-150200.3.41.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:4797-1 |
| SLES for SAP 15 SP5 | bouncycastle | 1.86-150200.3.41.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:4797-1 |
| SLES for SAP 15 SP4 | bouncycastle | 1.86-150200.3.41.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:4797-1 |
| SLES 16.0 | bouncycastle | 1.86-160000.1.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:24461-1 |
| SLE HPC 15 SP5 | bouncycastle | 1.86-150200.3.41.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:4797-1 |
| SLE HPC 15 SP4 | bouncycastle | 1.86-150200.3.41.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:4797-1 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | bouncycastle | 1.86-1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:12090-1 |
| openSUSE Leap 16.0 | bouncycastle | 1.86-160000.1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:22169-1 |
Advisories 5
- WID-SEC-2026-3713 Bouncy Castle: Mehrere Schwachstellen BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Nov 9, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:24461-1 Security update for bouncycastle SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Nov 4, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2026:22169-1 Security update for bouncycastle SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Nov 1, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:4797-1 Security update for bouncycastle SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Oct 21, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2026:12090-1 bouncycastle-1.86-1.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Oct 10, 2026