python-ecdsa: Denial of Service via improper DER length validation in crafted private keys
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · Low
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 3 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA, GitHub and Red Hat.
Summary
The `ecdsa` PyPI package is a pure Python implementation of ECC (Elliptic Curve Cryptography) with support for ECDSA (Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm), EdDSA (Edwards-curve Digital Signature Algorithm) and ECDH (Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman). Prior to version 0.19.2, an issue in the low-level DER parsing functions can cause unexpected exceptions to be raised from the public API functions. `ecdsa.der.remove_octet_string()` accepts truncated DER where the encoded length exceeds the available buffer. For example, an OCTET STRING that declares a length of 4096 bytes but provides only 3 bytes is parsed successfully instead of being rejected. Because of that, a crafted DER input can cause `SigningKey.from_der()` to raise an internal exception (`IndexError: index out of bounds on dimension 1`) rather than cleanly rejecting malformed DER (e.g., raising `UnexpectedDER` or `ValueError`). Applications that parse untrusted DER private keys may crash if they do not handle unexpected exceptions, resulting in a denial of service. Version 0.19.2 patches the issue.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- Poc
- Automatable
- Yes
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| tlsfuzzer | python-ecdsa | before 0.19.2 | 0.19.2 | Patch available | CNA |
| — | ecdsa (PyPI) | before 0.19.2 | 0.19.2 | Patch available | GHSA-9f5j-8jwj-x28g |
- python-ecdsa Vendortlsfuzzer Affected before 0.19.2 Fixed in 0.19.2 Patch available CNA
- ecdsa (PyPI) Vendor— Affected before 0.19.2 Fixed in 0.19.2 Patch available GHSA-9f5j-8jwj-x28g
Remediation
- Fix · CNA python-ecdsa (tlsfuzzer) Fixed in 0.19.2
- Fix · GHSA-9f5j-8jwj-x28g ecdsa (PyPI) Fixed in 0.19.2 Advisory →
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Satellite 6 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Update Infrastructure 4 for Cloud Providers | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-33936
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-9f5j-8jwj-x28g
References
More tlsfuzzer Ecdsa vulnerabilities
- TI-2024-15443 python-ecdsa vulnerable to Minerva attack on P-256 CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.4
Sources
- CVE-2026-33936 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-33936 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-9f5j-8jwj-x28g · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-33936 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences