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TI-2026-39660 Aliases CVE-2026-54887

DTLS server cookie bypass during startup window due to empty initial cookie secret

Priority LOW 28CWE-1394Published · Updated

Key facts

Attack vector
Network
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
Low
Attack requirements
Present
Impact type
—
Confidentiality · integrity · availability
None · None · Low
Fix status
Fixed

Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA.

Summary

Use of Default Cryptographic Key vulnerability in Erlang/OTP ssl (DTLS server) allows predictable DTLS cookie computation during the startup window, enabling source address verification bypass. On DTLS server startup, dtls_server_connection:initial_hello/3 initializes previous_cookie_secret to the empty binary (<<>>) instead of a random value. Because HMAC with an empty key is deterministic, anyone who observes the plaintext ClientHello can compute dtls_handshake:cookie(<<>>, IP, Port, Hello) and forge a valid DTLS cookie before the first rotation of the cookie secret. The DTLS cookie (RFC 6347 §4.2.1) is a denial-of-service mitigation that prevents spoofed source IPs from forcing the server to allocate state and perform expensive cryptographic operations; it is not an authentication mechanism. During the window from server startup until the first secret rotation (0 to 15 seconds), an attacker who can observe the plaintext ClientHello can bypass the source address verification, enabling DTLS handshake amplification with spoofed source addresses. This vulnerability is associated with program file lib/ssl/src/dtls_server_connection.erl and program routine dtls_server_connection:initial_hello/3. This issue affects OTP from OTP 20.0 before OTP 29.0.3, OTP 28.5.0.3 and OTP 27.3.4.14, corresponding to ssl from 8.2 before 11.7.3, 11.6.0.3 and 11.2.12.10.

Why it matters now

Exploitation None reported CISA SSVC · not in CISA KEV
EPSS 0.00243 15th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Fix Fixed No fixed version in the sources yet

SSVC decision points

CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3

Exploitation
None
Automatable
No
Technical impact
Partial

The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.

Affected products

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed inStatusSource
ErlangOTP8.2 and later—No fix listedCNA
ErlangOTP20.0 and later—Patch availableCNA
  • OTP VendorErlang Affected 8.2 and later Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
  • OTP VendorErlang Affected 20.0 and later Fixed in — Patch available CNA

CPE configurations NVD · 2

CPEVersionsRoleVendor
cpe:2.3:a:erlang:erlang\/otp:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*20.0 to before 27.3.4.14; 28.0 to before 28.5.0.3; 29.0 to before 29.0.3VulnerableErlang
cpe:2.3:a:erlang:erlang\/ssl:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*8.2 to before 11.2.12.10; 11.3 to before 11.6.0.3; 11.7 to before 11.7.3VulnerableErlang
  • cpe:2.3:a:erlang:erlang\/otp:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 20.0 to before 27.3.4.14; 28.0 to before 28.5.0.3; 29.0 to before 29.0.3 Vulnerable ·Erlang
  • cpe:2.3:a:erlang:erlang\/ssl:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 8.2 to before 11.2.12.10; 11.3 to before 11.6.0.3; 11.7 to before 11.7.3 Vulnerable ·Erlang

Remediation

No fixed version listed by the sources yet.

Timeline

  1. 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-54887

References

  • TI-2025-23504 Erlang/OTP SSH Vulnerable to Pre-Authentication RCE KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 10.0
  • TI-2023-26623 The SSH transport protocol with certain OpenSSH extensions, found in OpenSSH before 9.6… CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 5.9
  • TI-2017-14604 The Erlang otp TLS server answers with different TLS alerts to different error types in… CVSS 3.0MEDIUM 5.9
  • TI-2026-36669 Stack buffer overflow in SCTP error cause parsing in inet_drv allows remote VM crash CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.8
  • TI-2022-17230 In Erlang/OTP before 23.3.4.15, 24.x before 24.3.4.2, and 25.x before 25.0.2, there is a… CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
  • TI-2016-08327 An issue was discovered in Erlang/OTP 18.x. CVSS 3.0CRITICAL 9.8
See all 40 →

Sources

This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences