Medium severity · published Oct 26, 2026
CVE-2026-65630
Timing side-channel in pure-Erlang X25519 scalar multiplication leaks the private key in jose
New
5.9
CVSS
0.1%
EPSS
No
On KEV
Description
Observable Timing Discrepancy vulnerability in potatosalad jose allows recovery of a long-term X25519 private key through a timing side channel in the pure-Erlang Curve25519 fallback.
The pure-Erlang X25519 implementation performs scalar multiplication over the secret private key using a recursive Montgomery ladder (jose_jwa_x25519:curve25519/2) whose clauses branch on individual bits of the clamped private scalar, and whose per-step operations (jose_jwa_x25519:montgomery_add/3 and jose_jwa_x25519:montgomery_double/1) and field inversion are built from value-dependent Erlang bignum arithmetic (multiplication, remainder, and modular exponentiation). Although the ladder is operation-count balanced and fixed at 254 steps, the concrete integer values processed at each step, and therefore the running time, depend on the secret scalar. The execution time of the public entry points jose_jwa_x25519:scalarmult/2, jose_jwa_x25519:x25519/2, jose_jwa_x25519:x25519_base/1, and jose_jwa_x25519:sk_to_pk/1 is thus a function of the private key.
This path is reachable from the public API, most notably when a service decrypts attacker-supplied ECDH-ES (JWE) messages with a long-term X25519 key (for example through JOSE.JWK.box_decrypt_ecdh_es/2, which reaches jose_jwa_curve25519:x25519_shared_secret/2 and the ladder). An attacker who can submit ciphertexts and measure decryption timing can, in principle, recover the private key bit by bit, defeating the resistance X25519 was designed to provide. Recovery of the key compromises the confidentiality and authenticity of all data protected by it.
This issue affects jose: from 1.10.0 before 1.11.13.
Exploitation
Is it being used?
Exploit prediction (EPSS)0.1% · higher than 3% of CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo evidence yet
CISA KEVNot listed
Ransomware campaign useNot known
Affected products
Which versions
JO
jose · potatosalad
1.10.0 before 1.11.13; 8e532095de114ef4bf88a9ec5d651fa251a972b3 before 3670f873c274bba86fb7f5ee5727a7efa1322b79 · source: vendor
References
NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-65630
CVE.org
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-65630
cna.erlef.org
https://cna.erlef.org/cves/CVE-2026-65630.html
github.com
https://github.com/potatosalad/erlang-jose/commit/3670f873c274bba86fb7f5ee5727a7efa1322b79
github.com
https://github.com/potatosalad/erlang-jose/commit/8e532095de114ef4bf88a9ec5d651fa251a972b3
github.com
https://github.com/potatosalad/erlang-jose/security/advisories/GHSA-xvr2-gggj-h2pp
osv.dev
https://osv.dev/vulnerability/EEF-CVE-2026-65630
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