CVE-2026-2681VulnerabilityPublished 19 Feb 2026

CVE-2026-2681: blst · Out-of-bounds Write

Affects blstSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.3 Medium.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 06:26 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.3Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 28% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: None
Availability: Low

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the impacted component.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: Low: Performance is reduced or there are interruptions in resource availability. Even if repeated exploitation of the vulnerability is possible, the attacker does not have the ability to completely deny service to legitimate users. The resources in the impacted component are either partially available all of the time, or fully available only some of the time, but overall there is no direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 19 Feb 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by 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 2026-10-26.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
GitHubblst`pkg:github/blst`Other threats	Affected <=0.3.16	Fixed in–

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

AI-suggested

European organizations should first identify all applications and services using the blst cryptographic library, especially those exposing key generation functions like blst_keygen_v5() to external inputs. Until an official patch is released, implement input validation to reject zero-length salt parameters before they reach the vulnerable function. Employ application-layer firewalls or network filtering to restrict access to vulnerable APIs from untrusted networks. Consider sandboxing or isolating processes that perform cryptographic operations to limit the impact of potential crashes. Monitor application logs and system stability metrics for signs of unexpected process terminations. Engage with software vendors or open-source maintainers for updates and patches addressing this vulnerability. Once patches are available, prioritize their deployment in production environments. Additionally, conduct penetration testing and fuzzing on cryptographic interfaces to detect similar input validation issues proactively.

Description

A flaw was found in the blst cryptographic library. This out-of-bounds stack write vulnerability, specifically in the blst_sha256_bcopy assembly routine, occurs due to a missing zero-length guard. A remote attacker can exploit this by providing a zero-length salt parameter to key generation functions, such as blst_keygen_v5(), if the application exposes this functionality. Successful exploitation leads to memory corruption and immediate process termination, resulting in a denial-of-service (DoS) condition.

Impact

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2026-2681 is a denial-of-service condition caused by process crashes in applications using the blst cryptographic library. This can disrupt services relying on cryptographic key generation, potentially affecting secure communications, authentication mechanisms, or blockchain-related operations that depend on blst. Although the vulnerability does not allow data leakage or unauthorized access, the availability impact can lead to service outages, degraded user experience, and operational interruptions. Organizations in sectors such as finance, telecommunications, and critical infrastructure that utilize blst for cryptographic functions could face increased risk of service disruption. Additionally, if the vulnerable functionality is exposed to the internet or untrusted networks, attackers could remotely trigger crashes, amplifying the threat. The lack of known exploits reduces immediate risk, but the ease of exploitation and network accessibility necessitate proactive mitigation to maintain service reliability.

References

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