GHSA-wh5q-mpc8-67wf: liboqs: Heap out-of-bounds read in LMS/HSS signature verification via unvalidated signature length (hss_verify_inc.c:215)

Published Nov 6, 2026
·
Updated

liboqs is a C-language cryptographic library that provides implementations of post-quantum cryptography algorithms. From 0.11.0 through 0.16.0, builds configured with OQSENABLESIGSTFLLMS=ON can read beyond a caller-supplied signature buffer when an untrusted truncated LMS or HSS-LMS signature reaches OQSSIGSTFLverify or OQSSIGSTFLalglmsverify. In hssvalidatesignatureinit() in src/sigstfl/lms/external/hssverifyinc.c, consumed-length checks do not ensure that the bottom-level q and C fields remain available, allowing up to 32 bytes to be read past the buffer. In version 0.16.0, ishsspublickey() also reads at offset 8 after only a four-byte length check, allowing an over-read of up to eight bytes. No valid signature is required, but the public key must be syntactically plausible. The read data is consumed only by an internal hash and is not exposed, so the supported impact is a possible verifier crash and denial of service, not memory disclosure or acceptance of an invalid signature. This issue is scheduled to be fixed in version 0.17.0.

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Upgrade

    Upgrade liboqs to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 0.17.0

Event History

Nov 6, 2026
CVE Published
via OSV·09:20 PM
Data Sourced
via OSV·09:20 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness

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