SECURELYN

CVE-2026-16516

wolfSSH does not validate that the ECDSA curve identifier in a KEXDH_REPLY host key blob matches the algorithm negotiated during key exchange. In ParseECCPubKey() (src/internal.c), the blob's algorithm string is used to derive the curve via NameToId/wcPrimeForId without checking against the negotiated ssh-handshake-pubKeyId, and the RFC 5656 curve identifier string is discarded via GetSkip() rather than compared. An active network man-in-the-middle attacker can substitute a host key blob containing a different ECDSA curve, causing the client to import the key on the wrong curve. Because the a…

Scores

9.0
CVSS 9.0 out of 10, critical severity.
0.1%
EPSS 0.1% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

The facts

Published
7 October 2026
Last changed
13 October 2026
NVD status
Analyzed
Severity
Critical, CVSS 9.0 out of 10 (version 4.0)
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:H/VA:N/SC:L/SI:H/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R…
Weakness
Affects
  • wolfssh wolfssh
Known exploited
Not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue in this build.
EPSS
0.1% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days (percentile 2).

Is there a Securelyn advisory?

Not yet. Securelyn writes plain-English advisories for the flaws that matter most to businesses. Subscribe to the digest to hear about them.

References