CVE-2026-46597: Golang.org/x/crypto Invoking Byte Arithmetic Causes Underflow Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-q4h4-gmj2-qvw2
Share
CVSS 7.5
CWE-704
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-46597 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) invoking byte arithmetic causes underflow vulnerability (CWE-704: Incorrect Type Conversion or Cast) affecting Golang.org/x/crypto libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves invoking byte arithmetic causes underflow and panic. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.52.0.

CVE-2026-46597 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-46597
GHSA Identifier GHSA-q4h4-gmj2-qvw2
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-704: Incorrect Type Conversion or Cast
Affected Product Golang.org/x/crypto
Package Ecosystem Go
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality None (C:N)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2026-46597

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

golang.org/x/crypto fixed: 0.52.0 
Upgrade golang.org/x/crypto to 0.52.0
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 golang.org/x/crypto

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2026-46597, inspect your project dependencies for Golang.org/x/crypto:

inspect dependencies for golang.org/x/crypto

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Golang.org/x/crypto in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.52.0), 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-704: Incorrect Type Conversion or Cast, where the product does not correctly convert an object, resource, or structure from one type to a different type. In Golang.org/x/crypto, 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

An incorrectly placed cast from bytes to int allowed for server-side panic in the AES-GCM packet decoder for well-crafted inputs.

CVE-2026-46597 Affected Golang.org/x/crypto Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.52.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
golang.org/x/crypto
golang/golang.org/x/crypto
Go
< 0.52.0
0.52.0

References

NVD — CVE-2026-46597 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-46597
cs.opensource.google/go/x/crypto PACKAGE
https://cs.opensource.google/go/x/crypto
go.dev/cl/781620 WEB
https://go.dev/cl/781620
go.dev/issue/79561 WEB
https://go.dev/issue/79561
groups.google.com/g/golang-announce/c... WEB
https://groups.google.com/g/golang-announce/c/a082jnz-LvI
pkg.go.dev/vuln/go-2026-5013 WEB
https://pkg.go.dev/vuln/GO-2026-5013

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-46597?
CVE-2026-46597 is a security vulnerability in Golang.org/x/crypto involving Invoking byte arithmetic causes underflow and panic under CWE-704: Incorrect Type Conversion or Cast.
Which Golang.org/x/crypto versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.52.0 across affected packages: golang.org/x/crypto.
What version fixes CVE-2026-46597?
Upgrading to 0.52.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is golang.org/x/crypto affected?
Yes, golang.org/x/crypto is affected in releases prior to 0.52.0. Upgrade your dependency to 0.52.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-46597?
CVE-2026-46597 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-46597?
CVE-2026-46597 is classified under CWE-704: Incorrect Type Conversion or Cast (The product does not correctly convert an object, resource, or structure from one type to a different type.).
How can I check Go dependencies for CVE-2026-46597?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for golang.org/x/crypto'. 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-q4h4-gmj2-qvw2",
  "modified" : "2026-07-07T15:22:53Z",
  "published" : "2026-06-25T22:14:22Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-46597" ],
  "summary" : "golang.org/x/crypto: Invoking byte arithmetic causes underflow and panic",
  "details" : "An incorrectly placed cast from bytes to int allowed for server-side panic in the AES-GCM packet decoder for well-crafted inputs.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "golang.org/x/crypto"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.52.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-46597"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://cs.opensource.google/go/x/crypto"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://go.dev/cl/781620"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://go.dev/issue/79561"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://groups.google.com/g/golang-announce/c/a082jnz-LvI"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://pkg.go.dev/vuln/GO-2026-5013"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-704" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-06-25T22:14:22Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-05-22T04:16:26Z"
  }
}