Low severity · published Sep 29, 2026
CVE-2026-77696
Timing Side-Channel in SM2 Signature Generation
3.7
CVSS
0.4%
EPSS
No
On KEV
Description
Issue summary: SM2 signature generation uses non-constant-time arithmetic
on secret values, forming a timing side-channel.
Impact summary: An attacker able to measure SM2 signing times may learn
information about the per-signature secret nonce, which over many signatures
can, via a lattice / Hidden Number Problem attack, lead to recovery of the
private key.
CWE: CWE-208: Observable Timing Discrepancy
Description: SM2 signature generation computes the signature value using
variable-time BIGNUM operations on the secret nonce and the private key, so
the time taken to produce an SM2 signature depends on these secret values,
forming a timing side-channel.
Applications performing SM2 signature generation are affected on all
platforms.
FIPS Impact: no
SM2 is not a FIPS algorithm.
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
None
Scope
Unchanged
Exploitation
Is it being used?
Exploit prediction (EPSS)0.4% · higher than 34% of CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo evidence yet
CISA KEVNot listed
Ransomware campaign useNot known
Affected products
Which versions
OP
OpenSSL · OpenSSL
4.0.0 before 4.0.3; 3.6.0 before 3.6.5; 3.5.0 before 3.5.9; 3.4.0 before 3.4.8; 3.0.0 before 3.0.23; 1.1.1 before 1.1.1zj · source: vendor, NVD
References
NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-77696
CVE.org
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-77696
vendor-advisory
https://openssl-library.org/news/secadv/20260929.txt
patch
https://github.com/openssl/openssl/commit/20b20628d39b2dcc4677194bd68c7c060fa598cb
patch
https://github.com/openssl/openssl/commit/1c4aed808a7aea32d2d013049c2e0d9fef164fc9
patch
https://github.com/openssl/openssl/commit/6b90445a56b99a328ac1feba058abf976504f440
patch
https://github.com/openssl/openssl/commit/419f5cb519721dceed393dbc524d79e487c72e64
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