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CVE-2026-21898VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2026-21898: nasa CryptoLib · Out-of-bounds Read

Affects nasa CryptoLibSource CVE Database V5

0

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 8.2 High : upgrade to 1.4.3 soon.

Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
8.2High
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
EPSS
0.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 38% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch
Available – fixed in 1.4.3
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:H

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 10 Jan 2026

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponised: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq Mirage: no evidence on record.

    No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-25.

What to do

Upgrade CryptoLib and nasa/CryptoLib to 1.4.3.

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
nasaCryptoLibAffected
  • <1.4.3
Fixed in
  • 1.4.3
GitHubnasa/CryptoLibpkg:github/nasa/CryptoLibOther threatsAffected
  • <1.4.3
Fixed in
  • 1.4.3

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

The primary mitigation is to upgrade all instances of NASA's CryptoLib to version 1.4.3 or later, where the out-of-bounds read issue has been patched. Organizations should conduct an inventory of systems using CryptoLib, especially those handling spacecraft communication, to identify vulnerable versions. Implement rigorous input validation and memory safety checks in any custom or derivative implementations of the SDLS-EP protocol. Employ runtime protections such as memory-safe languages or bounds-checking tools where feasible. Monitor network traffic for anomalous AOS frame hashes that could indicate exploitation attempts. Coordinate with NASA and aerospace partners to ensure timely patch deployment and share threat intelligence. Finally, conduct regular security assessments and fuzz testing on protocol parsers to detect similar vulnerabilities proactively.

Description

CryptoLib provides a software-only solution using the CCSDS Space Data Link Security Protocol - Extended Procedures (SDLS-EP) to secure communications between a spacecraft running the core Flight System (cFS) and a ground station. Prior to version 1.4.3, the Crypto_AOS_ProcessSecurity function reads memory without valid bounds checking when parsing AOS frame hashes. This issue has been patched in version 1.4.3.

References

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