Buffer overflow in Nasa Cryptolib
CVE-2026-22697
CryptoLib provides a software-only solution using the CCSDS Space Data Link Security Protocol - Extended Procedures (SDLS-EP) to secure communications between a spacecraft running the core Flight System (cFS) and a ground station. Prior to version 1.4.3, CryptoLib’s KMC crypto service integration is vulnerable to a heap buffer overflow when decoding Base64-encoded ciphertext/cleartext fields returned by the KMC service. The decode destination buffer is sized using an expected output length (len_data_out), but the Base64 decoder writes output based on the actual Base64 input length and does not enforce any destination size limit. An oversized Base64 string in the KMC JSON response can cause out-of-bounds writes on the heap, resulting in process crash and potentially code execution under certain conditions. This issue has been patched in version 1.4.3.
Vulnerability class: Buffer Overflow
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 7.5 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.005 (42.3th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 42nd percentile — 42.3% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.005 · newest: 0.005 · change: +0.000
Affected products
- Nasa Cryptolib — versions < 1.4.3
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- github.com/nasa/CryptoLib/security/advisories/GHSA-qjx3-83jh-2jc4 (Exploit, Vendor Advisory)
- github.com/nasa/CryptoLib/releases/tag/v1.4.3 (Release Notes)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-22697?
- CVE-2026-22697 is a high-severity vulnerability in Nasa Cryptolib, classified under Heap-based Buffer Overflow. CVSS score: 7.5/10. Published 2026-01-10.
- How severe is CVE-2026-22697?
- High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.5 out of 10.