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Linux Distros Unpatched Vulnerability : CVE-2026-71885

🗓️ 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00Reported by TenableType 
nessus
 nessus
🔗 www.tenable.com👁 2 Views

Messaging Layer Security flaw in Bouncy Castle for Java allows unauthenticated identity spoofing.

Related
Refs
Code
ReporterTitlePublishedViews
Family
circl
Circl
CVE-2026-71885
3 Oct 202610:07
–circl
cve
CVE
CVE-2026-71885
3 Oct 202608:51
–cve
cvelist
Cvelist
CVE-2026-71885 MLS X.509 credential not bound to the LeafNode signature key
3 Oct 202608:51
–cvelist
debiancve
Debian CVE
CVE-2026-71885
3 Oct 202608:51
–debiancve
euvd
EUVD
EUVD-2026-92003
3 Oct 202608:51
–euvd
nvd
NVD
CVE-2026-71885
3 Oct 202609:17
–nvd
osv
OSV
DEBIAN-CVE-2026-71885
3 Oct 202609:17
–osv
ptsecurity
Positive Technologies
PT-2026-104567
3 Oct 202600:00
–ptsecurity
#%NASL_MIN_LEVEL 80900
##
# (C) Tenable, Inc.
##

include('compat.inc');

if (description)
{
  script_id(362878);
  script_version("1.1");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_modification_date", value:"2026/10/03");

  script_cve_id("CVE-2026-71885");

  script_name(english:"Linux Distros Unpatched Vulnerability : CVE-2026-71885");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"synopsis", value:
"The Linux/Unix host has one or more packages installed with a vulnerability that the vendor indicates will not be
patched.");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"description", value:
"The Linux/Unix host has one or more packages installed that are impacted by a vulnerability without a vendor supplied
patch available.

  - In Bouncy Castle for Java before 1.86, the Messaging Layer Security (MLS, RFC 9420) implementation did not
    bind an X.509 credential to a LeafNode's signature_key. LeafNode.verify() checked a leaf's signature
    against the signature_key carried in the leaf itself, while the credential's X.509 certificate chain was
    stored but never parsed or validated, so the end-entity certificate's public key was never required to
    match signature_key as RFC 9420 sec. 5.3 requires. A party could therefore present another party's
    certificate as its credential while signing the leaf, and the enclosing KeyPackage, with an unrelated key,
    and be accepted under that other party's identity through KeyPackage.verify() and the Group leaf-
    validation path. In a deployment that admits external commits without an independent credential-admission
    check, an unauthenticated attacker could be admitted under a victim's X.509 identity, evict the victim
    (resynchronization compares whole credentials rather than signing keys), derive the current epoch, decrypt
    subsequent group messages, and send messages accepted as the victim. TreeKEM.LeafNode now requires the
    end-entity certificate's subject public key, in the cipher suite's signature encoding, to equal
    signature_key for an X.509 credential and rejects the leaf otherwise, including an empty chain or a
    certificate whose key type does not match the cipher suite; certificate-chain and identity validation to a
    trust anchor remain the application's responsibility per RFC 9420 sec. 5.3.1. Deployments using only basic
    credentials are unaffected. (CVE-2026-71885)

Note that Nessus relies on the presence of the package as reported by the vendor.");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"see_also", value:"https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2026-71885");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"solution", value:
"There is no known solution at this time.");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"agent", value:"unix");
  script_set_cvss_base_vector("CVSS2#AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P");
  script_set_cvss_temporal_vector("CVSS2#E:U/RL:U/RC:C");
  script_set_cvss3_base_vector("CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H");
  script_set_cvss3_temporal_vector("CVSS:3.0/E:U/RL:U/RC:C");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cvss4_vector", value:"CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cvss4_supplemental", value:"CVSS:4.0/U:Amber");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cvss4_threat_vector", value:"CVSS:4.0/E:U");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cvss_score_source", value:"CVE-2026-71885");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"exploitability_ease", value:"No known exploits are available");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"exploit_available", value:"false");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"vendor_unpatched", value:"true");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"vuln_publication_date", value:"2026/10/03");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_publication_date", value:"2026/10/03");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_type", value:"local");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"cpe:/o:debian:debian_linux:12.0");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"cpe:/o:debian:debian_linux:13.0");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"p-cpe:/a:debian:debian_linux:bouncycastle");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"generated_plugin", value:"current");
  script_end_attributes();

  script_category(ACT_GATHER_INFO);
  script_family(english:"Misc.");

  script_copyright(english:"This script is Copyright (C) 2026 and is owned by Tenable, Inc. or an Affiliate thereof.");

  script_dependencies("ssh_get_info2.nasl", "set_linux_os_id.nasl");
  script_require_keys("Host/cpu", "Host/local_checks_enabled", "global_settings/vendor_unpatched", "Host/OS/identifier");
  script_require_ports("Host/OS/Debian Linux-12", "Host/OS/Debian Linux-13");

  exit(0);
}

if (!get_kb_item("global_settings/vendor_unpatched")) exit(0, "Unpatched Vulnerabilities Detection not active.");
if (!get_kb_item("Host/local_checks_enabled")) audit(AUDIT_LOCAL_CHECKS_NOT_ENABLED);
if (empty_or_null(get_one_kb_item("Host/Debian/dpkg-l"))) audit(AUDIT_PACKAGE_LIST_MISSING);

include('linux_unpatched.inc');

var distro_constraints_array = {
  "Debian Linux-12": {
    "package_manager": "dpkg-l",
    "constraints": [
      {
        "release": "12",
        "pkgs": [
          {"reference": "libbcjmail-java"},
          {"reference": "libbcmail-java"},
          {"reference": "libbcpg-java"},
          {"reference": "libbcpkix-java"},
          {"reference": "libbcprov-java"},
          {"reference": "libbctls-java"},
          {"reference": "libbcutil-java"}
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "Debian Linux-13": {
    "package_manager": "dpkg-l",
    "constraints": [
      {
        "release": "13",
        "pkgs": [
          {"reference": "libbcjmail-java"},
          {"reference": "libbcmail-java"},
          {"reference": "libbcpg-java"},
          {"reference": "libbcpkix-java"},
          {"reference": "libbcprov-java"},
          {"reference": "libbctls-java"},
          {"reference": "libbcutil-java"}
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
};

var distro_constraints_values = linux_unpatched::get_distro_constraints(distro_constraints_arr:distro_constraints_array);
if (empty_or_null(distro_constraints_values)) audit(AUDIT_HOST_NOT, 'affected');

var third_party_support = get_kb_item('Host/OS/extended-third-party');
if (!empty_or_null(third_party_support)) {
    var third_party_vendors = distro_constraints_values['third_party'];
    if (!empty_or_null(third_party_vendors)) {
        var vendor;
        foreach vendor (third_party_vendors) {
            if (vendor == third_party_support) exit(0, 'A third party management patch is available for this vulnerability from ' + vendor + '.\n');
        }
    }
}

var report = linux_unpatched::check_unpatched_constraints(distro_constraints_values:distro_constraints_values);

if (!empty_or_null(report))
{
  security_report_v4(
      port       : 0,
      severity   : SECURITY_WARNING,
      extra      : report
  );
  exit(0);
}
else
{
  audit(AUDIT_HOST_NOT, 'affected');
}

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03 Oct 2026 00:00Current
5.8Medium risk
Vulners AI Score5.8
CVSS 49.2
EPSS0.00188
2