CVE-2026-0636: Bouncy Castle Bouncy Castle Has An LDAP Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-c3fc-8qff-9hwx
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CWE-90
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-0636 is a MODERATE bouncy castle has an ldap vulnerability (CWE-90: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an LDAP Query ('LDAP Injection')) affecting Bouncy Castle libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves bouncy castle has an ldap injection. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.84.

CVE-2026-0636 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-0636
GHSA Identifier GHSA-c3fc-8qff-9hwx
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-90: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an LDAP Query ('LDAP Injection')
Affected Product Bouncy Castle
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2026-0636

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.

org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk14 fixed: 1.84 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.bouncycastle</groupId>
    <artifactId>bcprov-jdk14</artifactId>
    <version>1.84</version>
</dependency>
org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk15to18 fixed: 1.84 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.bouncycastle</groupId>
    <artifactId>bcprov-jdk15to18</artifactId>
    <version>1.84</version>
</dependency>
org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk18on fixed: 1.84 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.bouncycastle</groupId>
    <artifactId>bcprov-jdk18on</artifactId>
    <version>1.84</version>
</dependency>
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

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

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.bouncycastle

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2026-0636, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.bouncycastle

Analyze 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 1.84), 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-90: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an LDAP Query ('LDAP Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of an ldap query using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended ldap query when it is sent to a downstream component. 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

Improper neutralization of special elements used in an LDAP query ('LDAP injection') vulnerability in Legion of the Bouncy Castle Inc. BC-JAVA bcprov on all (prov modules). This vulnerability is associated with program files LDAPStoreHelper. This issue affects BC-JAVA: from 1.74 before 1.84.

CVE-2026-0636 Affected Bouncy Castle Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.84
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk14
maven/org.bouncycastle/bcprov-jdk14
Maven
≥ 1.74
< 1.84
1.84
org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk15to18
maven/org.bouncycastle/bcprov-jdk15to18
Maven
≥ 1.74
< 1.84
1.84
org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk18on
maven/org.bouncycastle/bcprov-jdk18on
Maven
≥ 1.74
< 1.84
1.84

References

NVD — CVE-2026-0636 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-0636
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/bcgit/bc-java/commit/d20cdb8430e09224114fec0179a71859929fcbde
Bouncy Castle Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/bcgit/bc-java
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/bcgit/bc-java/wiki/CVE%E2%80%902026%E2%80%900636

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-0636?
CVE-2026-0636 is a security vulnerability in Bouncy Castle involving Bouncy Castle has an LDAP injection under CWE-90: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an LDAP Query ('LDAP Injection').
Which Bouncy Castle versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.84 across affected packages: org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk14, org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk15to18, org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk18on.
What version fixes CVE-2026-0636?
Upgrading to 1.84 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is bcprov-jdk14 affected?
Yes, org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk14 is affected in releases prior to 1.84. Upgrade your dependency to 1.84 or later.
Is bcprov-jdk15to18 affected?
Yes, org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk15to18 is affected in releases prior to 1.84. Upgrade your dependency to 1.84 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-0636?
CVE-2026-0636 is classified under CWE-90: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an LDAP Query ('LDAP Injection') (The product constructs all or part of an LDAP query using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended LDAP query when it is sent to a downstream component.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2026-0636?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.bouncycastle'. 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-c3fc-8qff-9hwx",
  "modified" : "2026-04-18T01:06:02Z",
  "published" : "2026-04-17T18:31:50Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-0636" ],
  "summary" : "Bouncy Castle has an LDAP injection",
  "details" : "Improper neutralization of special elements used in an LDAP query ('LDAP injection') vulnerability in Legion of the Bouncy Castle Inc. BC-JAVA bcprov on all (prov modules). This vulnerability is associated with program files LDAPStoreHelper.\n\nThis issue affects BC-JAVA: from 1.74 before 1.84.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P/RE:M/U:Amber"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk14"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "1.74"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.84"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk15to18"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "1.74"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.84"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk18on"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "1.74"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.84"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-0636"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/bcgit/bc-java/commit/d20cdb8430e09224114fec0179a71859929fcbde"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/bcgit/bc-java"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/bcgit/bc-java/wiki/CVE%E2%80%902026%E2%80%900636"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-90" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-04-18T01:06:02Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-04-15T10:16:38Z"
  }
}