Description
LibJWT is a C JSON Web Token Library. From 3.0.0 to 3.3.2, libjwt accepts an RSA JWK that does not contain an alg parameter as the verification key for an HS256/HS384/HS512 token. In the OpenSSL backend, this causes HMAC verification to run with a zero-length key, so an attacker can forge a valid JWT without knowing any secret or RSA private key. This is an algorithm-confusion authentication bypass. It affects applications that load RSA keys from JWKS where alg is omitted, which is valid JWK syntax and common in real deployments, and then choose the verification algorithm from the JWT header, for example in a kid lookup callback. This vulnerability is fixed in 3.3.3.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| benmcollins | libjwt | >= 3.0.0, < 3.3.3 | — |
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 | libjwt3 | 3.3.3-1 | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 26.10 | libjwt +1 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | libjwt +1 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 25.10 | libjwt | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | libjwt | No fix yet | — |
Show 3 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 22.04 LTS | libjwt | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTS | libjwt | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTS | libjwt | No fix yet | — |