---
id: CVE-2026-53938
title: >-
  OpenIDC/cjose is a C library implementing the Javascript Object Signing and
  Encryption (JOSE)
summary: >-
  OpenIDC/cjose is a C library implementing the Javascript Object Signing and
  Encryption (JOSE). Prior to version 0.6.2.5, cjose's JWE decryption path for
  the AES Key Wrap key-management algorithms (`alg` = `A128KW`, `A192KW`,
  `A256KW`) do…
severity: high
cvss: 8.2
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H'
cwe:
  - CWE-122
  - CWE-787
vendor: OpenIDC
product: cjose
affected:
  - cjose < 0.6.2.5
published: '2026-09-09'
updated: '2026-09-10'
sourceUpdated: '2026-09-10T19:57:48.533'
source: NVD
sourceUrl: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-53938'
references:
  - url: >-
      https://github.com/OpenIDC/cjose/commit/8c51d245273583a658f24ef7b08ba22f848a34a5
    label: security-advisories@github.com
  - url: 'https://github.com/OpenIDC/cjose/security/advisories/GHSA-75r7-f5cv-g3wj'
    label: security-advisories@github.com
  - url: >-
      https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-53938.json
  - url: 'https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-53938'
  - url: 'https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2530240'
  - url: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-53938'
  - url: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-53938'
tags:
  - nvd
  - cve.org
  - csaf
  - vex
  - red-hat
epss: 0.00385
epssPercentile: 0.29845
ssvc:
  exploitation: none
  automatable: 'yes'
  technicalImpact: partial
  timestamp: '2026-09-09T15:51:50.383252Z'
ingestedAt: '2026-09-09T00:15:28.923Z'
---

## Overview

OpenIDC/cjose is a C library implementing the Javascript Object Signing and Encryption (JOSE). Prior to version 0.6.2.5, cjose's JWE decryption path for the AES Key Wrap key-management algorithms (`alg` = `A128KW`, `A192KW`, `A256KW`) does not validate the length of the attacker-supplied `encrypted_key` (JWE Encrypted Key) before unwrapping it into a fixed-size, heap-allocated Content Encryption Key (CEK) buffer. A remote, unauthenticated attacker who can submit a crafted JWE to an application that decrypts it with an AES-KW symmetric key can trigger an out-of-bounds heap write, corrupting the heap. This leads at minimum to a crash (denial of service) and, depending on the heap layout and allocator, may be leverageable for further memory-corruption impact. `cjose_jwe_import()` / `cjose_jwe_decrypt()` are pre-authentication entry points: they parse and process fully attacker-controlled input. Upgrade to cjose 0.6.2.5 to receive a patch. If upgrading is not immediately possible, reject the AES Key Wrap algorithms (`A128KW`/`A192KW`/`A256KW`) for untrusted JWEs at the application layer.

## Remediation

Refer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.

## Vendor advisories

- **Red Hat VEX** · Important · affected: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 · no fix planned: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 · updated 2026-09-09 · [vex](https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-53938.json)