CVE-2026-22863: Deno node Crypto Doesn't Finalize Cipher Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-5379-f5hf-w38v
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CWE-325
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-22863 is a CRITICAL crypto doesn't finalize cipher vulnerability (CWE-325: Missing Cryptographic Step) affecting Deno node libraries in the crates.io ecosystem. The issue involves crypto doesn't finalize cipher. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.6.0.

CVE-2026-22863 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-22863
GHSA Identifier GHSA-5379-f5hf-w38v
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-325: Missing Cryptographic Step
Affected Product Deno node
Package Ecosystem crates.io
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2026-22863

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Deno node dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

deno fixed: 2.6.0 
Upgrade deno to 2.6.0
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

inspect dependencies for deno

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2026-22863, inspect your project dependencies for Deno node:

inspect dependencies for deno

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Deno node in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.6.0), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-325: Missing Cryptographic Step, where the product does not implement a required step in a cryptographic algorithm, resulting in weaker encryption than advertised by the algorithm. In Deno node, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

### Summary The vulnerability allows an attacker to have infinite encryptions. This can lead to naive attempts at brute forcing, as well as more refined attacks with the goal to learn the server secrets. ### PoC ```js import crypto from "node:crypto"; const key = crypto.randomBytes(32); const iv = crypto.randomBytes(16); const cipher = crypto.createCipheriv("aes-256-cbc", key, iv); cipher.final() console.log(cipher); ``` ### Expected Output ```js Cipheriv { _decoder: null, _options: undefined, Symbol(kHandle): CipherBase {} } ``` ### Actual Output ```js Cipheriv { _events: { close: undefined, error: undefined, prefinish: [Function: prefinish], finish: undefined, drain: undefined, data: undefined, end: undefined, readable: undefined }, _readableState: ReadableState { highWaterMark: 65536, buffer: [], bufferIndex: 0, length: 0, pipes: [], awaitDrainWriters: null, [Symbol(kState)]: 1048844 }, _writableState: WritableState { highWaterMark: 65536, length: 0, corked: 0, onwrite: [Function: bound onwrite], writelen: 0, bufferedIndex: 0, pendingcb: 0, [Symbol(kState)]: 17580812, [Symbol(kBufferedValue)]: null }, allowHalfOpen: true, _final: [Function: final], _maxListeners: undefined, _transform: [Function: transform], _eventsCount: 1, [Symbol(kCapture)]: false, [Symbol(kCallback)]: null } ``` ### Mitigations All users should upgrade to Deno v2.6.0 or newer.

CVE-2026-22863 Affected Deno node Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.6.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
deno
 crates.io
< 2.6.0
2.6.0

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/denoland/deno/security/advisories/GHSA-5379-f5hf-w38v
NVD — CVE-2026-22863 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-22863
Deno node Release RELEASE
https://github.com/denoland/deno/releases/tag/v2.6.0
Deno node Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/denoland/deno

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-22863?
CVE-2026-22863 is a security vulnerability in Deno node involving crypto doesn't finalize cipher under CWE-325: Missing Cryptographic Step.
Which Deno node versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.6.0 across affected packages: deno.
What version fixes CVE-2026-22863?
Upgrading to 2.6.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is deno affected?
Yes, deno is affected in releases prior to 2.6.0. Upgrade your dependency to 2.6.0 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-22863?
CVE-2026-22863 is classified under CWE-325: Missing Cryptographic Step (The product does not implement a required step in a cryptographic algorithm, resulting in weaker encryption than advertised by the algorithm.).
How can I check crates.io dependencies for CVE-2026-22863?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for deno'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-5379-f5hf-w38v",
  "modified" : "2026-01-16T15:49:35Z",
  "published" : "2026-01-16T15:49:35Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-22863" ],
  "summary" : "Deno node:crypto doesn't finalize cipher",
  "details" : "### Summary\n\nThe vulnerability allows an attacker to have infinite encryptions. \n\nThis can lead to naive attempts at brute forcing, as well as more refined attacks with the goal to learn the server secrets.\n\n### PoC\n```js\nimport crypto from \"node:crypto\";\n\nconst key = crypto.randomBytes(32);\nconst iv = crypto.randomBytes(16);\nconst cipher = crypto.createCipheriv(\"aes-256-cbc\", key, iv);\ncipher.final()\n\nconsole.log(cipher);\n```\n\n### Expected Output\n```js\nCipheriv {\n  _decoder: null,\n  _options: undefined,\n  Symbol(kHandle): CipherBase {}\n}\n```\n\n### Actual Output\n```js\nCipheriv {\n  _events: {\n    close: undefined,\n    error: undefined,\n    prefinish: [Function: prefinish],\n    finish: undefined,\n    drain: undefined,\n    data: undefined,\n    end: undefined,\n    readable: undefined\n  },\n  _readableState: ReadableState {\n    highWaterMark: 65536,\n    buffer: [],\n    bufferIndex: 0,\n    length: 0,\n    pipes: [],\n    awaitDrainWriters: null,\n    [Symbol(kState)]: 1048844\n  },\n  _writableState: WritableState {\n    highWaterMark: 65536,\n    length: 0,\n    corked: 0,\n    onwrite: [Function: bound onwrite],\n    writelen: 0,\n    bufferedIndex: 0,\n    pendingcb: 0,\n    [Symbol(kState)]: 17580812,\n    [Symbol(kBufferedValue)]: null\n  },\n  allowHalfOpen: true,\n  _final: [Function: final],\n  _maxListeners: undefined,\n  _transform: [Function: transform],\n  _eventsCount: 1,\n  [Symbol(kCapture)]: false,\n  [Symbol(kCallback)]: null\n}\n```\n\n### Mitigations\n\nAll users should upgrade to Deno v2.6.0 or newer.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:H/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "crates.io",
      "name" : "deno"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.6.0"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 2.5.6"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/denoland/deno/security/advisories/GHSA-5379-f5hf-w38v"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-22863"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/denoland/deno"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/denoland/deno/releases/tag/v2.6.0"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-325" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-01-16T15:49:35Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-01-15T23:15:51Z"
  }
}