CVE-2020-15522: Bouncy Castle Timing Based Private Key Exposure Vulnerability
MODERATECVE-2020-15522 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.1) timing based private key exposure vulnerability (CWE-362: Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization ('Race Condition')) affecting Bouncy Castle libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves timing based private key exposure in bouncy castle. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.0.2.1, 1.66, 1.8.7.
CVE-2020-15522 at a Glance
Security Impact
CVSS: 5.1
The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N).
How to Fix CVE-2020-15522
To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Bouncy Castle dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.
<dependency>
<groupId>org.bouncycastle</groupId>
<artifactId>bc-fips</artifactId>
<version>1.0.2.1</version>
</dependency><dependency>
<groupId>org.bouncycastle</groupId>
<artifactId>bcprov-ext-jdk15on</artifactId>
<version>1.66</version>
</dependency><dependency>
<groupId>org.bouncycastle</groupId>
<artifactId>bcprov-ext-jdk16</artifactId>
<version>1.66</version>
</dependency><dependency>
<groupId>org.bouncycastle</groupId>
<artifactId>bcprov-jdk14</artifactId>
<version>1.66</version>
</dependency><dependency>
<groupId>org.bouncycastle</groupId>
<artifactId>bcprov-jdk15</artifactId>
<version>1.66</version>
</dependency><dependency>
<groupId>org.bouncycastle</groupId>
<artifactId>bcprov-jdk15on</artifactId>
<version>1.66</version>
</dependency><dependency>
<groupId>org.bouncycastle</groupId>
<artifactId>bcprov-jdk15to18</artifactId>
<version>1.66</version>
</dependency><dependency>
<groupId>org.bouncycastle</groupId>
<artifactId>bcprov-jdk16</artifactId>
<version>1.66</version>
</dependency>Upgrade BouncyCastle to 1.8.7Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:
mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.bouncycastleHow to Check if You Are Affected
To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2020-15522, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:
mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.bouncycastleAnalyze the terminal output to locate any version of Bouncy Castle in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.0.2.1), your application is affected.
Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.bouncycastle command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.
Technical Details
Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis
This vulnerability is classified under CWE-362: Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization ('Race Condition'), where the product contains a concurrent code sequence that requires temporary, exclusive access to a shared resource, but a timing window exists in which the shared resource can be modified by another code sequence operating concurrently. In Bouncy Castle, 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
CVE-2020-15522 Affected Bouncy Castle Versions
9 component(s)| Product / Package | Ecosystem | Affected Versions | Fixed Version |
|---|---|---|---|
|
org.bouncycastle:bc-fips
|
Maven |
< 1.0.2.1
|
1.0.2.1
|
|
org.bouncycastle:bcprov-ext-jdk15on
|
Maven |
< 1.66
|
1.66
|
|
org.bouncycastle:bcprov-ext-jdk16
|
Maven |
< 1.66
|
1.66
|
|
org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk14
|
Maven |
< 1.66
|
1.66
|
|
org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk15
|
Maven |
< 1.66
|
1.66
|
|
org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk15on
|
Maven |
< 1.66
|
1.66
|
|
org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk15to18
|
Maven |
< 1.66
|
1.66
|
|
org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk16
|
Maven |
< 1.66
|
1.66
|
|
BouncyCastle
|
NuGet |
< 1.8.7
|
1.8.7
|
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2020-15522?
Which Bouncy Castle versions are affected?
What version fixes CVE-2020-15522?
Is bc-fips affected?
Is bcprov-ext-jdk15on affected?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-15522?
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-15522?
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2020-15522?
Machine-readable OSV JSON
OSV v1.5 Schema
{
"schema_version" : "1.4.0",
"id" : "GHSA-6xx3-rg99-gc3p",
"modified" : "2025-07-17T22:05:07Z",
"published" : "2021-08-13T15:22:31Z",
"aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-15522" ],
"summary" : "Timing based private key exposure in Bouncy Castle",
"details" : "Bouncy Castle BC Java before 1.66, BC C# .NET before 1.8.7, BC-FJA before 1.0.2.1, BC before 1.66, BC-FNA before 1.0.1.1 have a timing issue within the EC math library that can expose information about the private key when an attacker is able to observe timing information for the generation of multiple deterministic ECDSA signatures.",
"severity" : [ {
"type" : "CVSS_V3",
"score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
} ],
"affected" : [ {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "org.bouncycastle:bc-fips"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "0"
}, {
"fixed" : "1.0.2.1"
} ]
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 1.0.2"
}
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "org.bouncycastle:bcprov-ext-jdk15on"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "0"
}, {
"fixed" : "1.66"
} ]
} ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "org.bouncycastle:bcprov-ext-jdk16"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "0"
}, {
"fixed" : "1.66"
} ]
} ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk14"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "0"
}, {
"fixed" : "1.66"
} ]
} ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk15"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "0"
}, {
"fixed" : "1.66"
} ]
} ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk15on"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "0"
}, {
"fixed" : "1.66"
} ]
} ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk15to18"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "0"
}, {
"fixed" : "1.66"
} ]
} ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk16"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "0"
}, {
"fixed" : "1.66"
} ]
} ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "NuGet",
"name" : "BouncyCastle"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "0"
}, {
"fixed" : "1.8.7"
} ]
} ]
} ],
"references" : [ {
"type" : "ADVISORY",
"url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-15522"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/bcgit/bc-csharp/wiki/CVE-2020-15522"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/bcgit/bc-java/wiki/CVE-2020-15522"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210622-0007"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://www.bouncycastle.org/releasenotes.html"
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-203", "CWE-362" ],
"severity" : "MODERATE",
"github_reviewed" : true,
"github_reviewed_at" : "2021-05-21T17:50:36Z",
"nvd_published_at" : "2021-05-20T12:15:00Z"
}
}