In Bouncy Castle for Java before 1.86, the MLS implementation (org.bouncycastle.mls) holds RFC 9420's uint32 leaf_index in a signed int, so a wire value with the top bit set decodes to a negative number. That is a legitimate encoding rather than malformed input, and it must still decode, since the MLS interop test vectors round-trip the full range. GroupKeySet.SecretTree.hasLeaf and Group.validateRemove compared the decoded value directly against the tree's leaf count, and a signed comparison treats any negative int as less than a positive bound, so an out-of-range sender passed the membership check. In the hasLeaf case the SenderData of an unprotected PrivateMessage could then drive LeafIndex.directPath through NodeIndex.parent() arithmetic that never reaches the tree root, growing the resulting node list without bound until the JVM exhausted its heap. A single small message from any current group member could therefore deny service to every other member of the group. Both comparisons now interpret the value as unsigned via Integer.toUnsignedLong, rejecting an out-of-range sender however it was encoded; well-formed leaf indices are unaffected.
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Affected Vendors & Products
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References
History
Fri, 02 Oct 2026 09:30:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| First Time appeared |
Legion Of The Bouncy Castle Inc.
Legion Of The Bouncy Castle Inc. bc-java |
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| Vendors & Products |
Legion Of The Bouncy Castle Inc.
Legion Of The Bouncy Castle Inc. bc-java |
Fri, 02 Oct 2026 07:30:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Description | In Bouncy Castle for Java before 1.86, the MLS implementation (org.bouncycastle.mls) holds RFC 9420's uint32 leaf_index in a signed int, so a wire value with the top bit set decodes to a negative number. That is a legitimate encoding rather than malformed input, and it must still decode, since the MLS interop test vectors round-trip the full range. GroupKeySet.SecretTree.hasLeaf and Group.validateRemove compared the decoded value directly against the tree's leaf count, and a signed comparison treats any negative int as less than a positive bound, so an out-of-range sender passed the membership check. In the hasLeaf case the SenderData of an unprotected PrivateMessage could then drive LeafIndex.directPath through NodeIndex.parent() arithmetic that never reaches the tree root, growing the resulting node list without bound until the JVM exhausted its heap. A single small message from any current group member could therefore deny service to every other member of the group. Both comparisons now interpret the value as unsigned via Integer.toUnsignedLong, rejecting an out-of-range sender however it was encoded; well-formed leaf indices are unaffected. | |
| Title | MLS membership checks compare a uint32 leaf_index as signed, admitting an out-of-range sender | |
| Weaknesses | CWE-195 | |
| References |
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| Metrics |
cvssV4_0
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Projects
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Status: PUBLISHED
Assigner: bcorg
Published:
Updated: 2026-10-02T07:26:34.739Z
Reserved: 2026-07-26T22:40:20.567Z
Link: CVE-2026-17507
No data.
Status : Received
Published: 2026-10-02T08:17:01.310
Modified: 2026-10-02T08:17:01.310
Link: CVE-2026-17507
No data.
OpenCVE Enrichment
Updated: 2026-10-02T09:15:08Z
Weaknesses