CVE-2026-35468: CWE-252: Unchecked Return Value in nimiq core-rs-albatross
CVE-2026-35468 is a medium severity vulnerability in the nimiq/core-rs-albatross Rust implementation of the Nimiq Proof-of-Stake protocol. Prior to version 1. 3. 0, the software improperly assumes the availability of a history index and directly unwraps an Option that can be None. This leads to a panic when a remote peer sends specific consensus requests while the node is syncing or running without the history index. The issue causes a denial of service by crashing the request handler. The vulnerability has been fixed in version 1. 3. 0.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
The vulnerability arises from unchecked return values in two peer-facing consensus request handlers in nimiq/core-rs-albatross before version 1.3.0. These handlers call blockchain.history_store.history_index().unwrap() assuming the history index is always present. However, HistoryStoreProxy::history_index() can return None when the node is syncing or operating without the history index (WithoutIndex state). Remote peers can exploit this by sending RequestTransactionsProof or RequestTransactionReceiptsByAddress requests, triggering an Option::unwrap() panic and causing the node to crash. This denial-of-service condition is addressed by patching the code in version 1.3.0 to properly handle the None case.
Potential Impact
The vulnerability results in a denial of service (DoS) condition by causing the node to panic and crash when processing certain consensus requests during syncing or when running without the history index. There is no impact on confidentiality or integrity. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 5.3 (medium severity), reflecting network attack vector, low complexity, no privileges required, no user interaction, and impact limited to availability.
Mitigation Recommendations
This vulnerability has been patched in nimiq/core-rs-albatross version 1.3.0. Users should upgrade to version 1.3.0 or later to remediate this issue. No other mitigation or workaround is indicated by the vendor advisory. Patch status is not explicitly stated beyond the version fix, so confirm with the vendor advisory for the latest remediation guidance.
CVE-2026-35468: CWE-252: Unchecked Return Value in nimiq core-rs-albatross
Description
CVE-2026-35468 is a medium severity vulnerability in the nimiq/core-rs-albatross Rust implementation of the Nimiq Proof-of-Stake protocol. Prior to version 1. 3. 0, the software improperly assumes the availability of a history index and directly unwraps an Option that can be None. This leads to a panic when a remote peer sends specific consensus requests while the node is syncing or running without the history index. The issue causes a denial of service by crashing the request handler. The vulnerability has been fixed in version 1. 3. 0.
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
The vulnerability arises from unchecked return values in two peer-facing consensus request handlers in nimiq/core-rs-albatross before version 1.3.0. These handlers call blockchain.history_store.history_index().unwrap() assuming the history index is always present. However, HistoryStoreProxy::history_index() can return None when the node is syncing or operating without the history index (WithoutIndex state). Remote peers can exploit this by sending RequestTransactionsProof or RequestTransactionReceiptsByAddress requests, triggering an Option::unwrap() panic and causing the node to crash. This denial-of-service condition is addressed by patching the code in version 1.3.0 to properly handle the None case.
Potential Impact
The vulnerability results in a denial of service (DoS) condition by causing the node to panic and crash when processing certain consensus requests during syncing or when running without the history index. There is no impact on confidentiality or integrity. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 5.3 (medium severity), reflecting network attack vector, low complexity, no privileges required, no user interaction, and impact limited to availability.
Mitigation Recommendations
This vulnerability has been patched in nimiq/core-rs-albatross version 1.3.0. Users should upgrade to version 1.3.0 or later to remediate this issue. No other mitigation or workaround is indicated by the vendor advisory. Patch status is not explicitly stated beyond the version fix, so confirm with the vendor advisory for the latest remediation guidance.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- GitHub_M
- Date Reserved
- 2026-04-02T20:49:44.452Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
Threat ID: 69d03f860a160ebd92619e21
Added to database: 4/3/2026, 10:30:30 PM
Last enriched: 4/3/2026, 10:45:36 PM
Last updated: 4/3/2026, 11:33:15 PM
Views: 4
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