CVE-2026-5598: Bouncy Castle Bouncy Castle Has Covert Timing Vulnerability
HIGHCVE-2026-5598 is a HIGH bouncy castle has covert timing vulnerability (CWE-385: Covert Timing Channel) affecting Bouncy Castle libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves bouncy castle has covert timing channel vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.80.2, 1.81.1, 1.84.
CVE-2026-5598 at a Glance
How to Fix CVE-2026-5598
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>bcprov-jdk15to18</artifactId>
<version>1.80.2</version>
</dependency><dependency>
<groupId>org.bouncycastle</groupId>
<artifactId>bcprov-jdk14</artifactId>
<version>1.81.1</version>
</dependency><dependency>
<groupId>org.bouncycastle</groupId>
<artifactId>bcprov-jdk18on</artifactId>
<version>1.84</version>
</dependency>Run 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-2026-5598, 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 1.80.2), 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-385: Covert Timing Channel, where covert timing channels convey information by modulating some aspect of system behavior over time, so that the program receiving the information can observe system behavior and infer protected information. 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-2026-5598 Affected Bouncy Castle Versions
3 component(s)| Product / Package | Ecosystem | Affected Versions | Fixed Version |
|---|---|---|---|
|
org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk15to18
|
Maven |
≥ 1.71
< 1.80.2
|
1.80.2
|
|
org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk14
|
Maven |
≥ 1.81
< 1.81.1
|
1.81.1
|
|
org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk18on
|
Maven |
≥ 1.82
< 1.84
|
1.84
|
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2026-5598?
Which Bouncy Castle versions are affected?
What version fixes CVE-2026-5598?
Is bcprov-jdk15to18 affected?
Is bcprov-jdk14 affected?
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-5598?
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2026-5598?
Machine-readable OSV JSON
OSV v1.5 Schema
{
"schema_version" : "1.4.0",
"id" : "GHSA-p93r-85wp-75v3",
"modified" : "2026-06-19T15:20:41Z",
"published" : "2026-04-17T18:31:50Z",
"aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-5598" ],
"summary" : "Bouncy Castle Has Covert Timing Channel Vulnerability",
"details" : "Covert timing channel vulnerability in Legion of the Bouncy Castle Inc. BC-JAVA core on all (core modules). This vulnerability is associated with program files FrodoEngine.Java.\n\nThis issue only affects users of the FrodoKEM algorithm involved in the decryption of encapsulations.\n\nThis issue affects BC-JAVA: from 1.71 to 1.80.1, 1.81, 1.82 to 1.83.\n\nFixed versions: 1.80.2, 1.81.1, 1.84",
"severity" : [ {
"type" : "CVSS_V4",
"score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:N/E:U/S:P/AU:Y/U:Red"
} ],
"affected" : [ {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk15to18"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "1.71"
}, {
"fixed" : "1.80.2"
} ]
} ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk14"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "1.81"
}, {
"fixed" : "1.81.1"
} ]
} ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk18on"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "1.82"
}, {
"fixed" : "1.84"
} ]
} ]
} ],
"references" : [ {
"type" : "ADVISORY",
"url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-5598"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/bcgit/bc-java/commit/8692e6b2b191fc4aafa32545c7a78bdb9bf110c5"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/bcgit/bc-java/commit/94abbd56413dfdac651fd878bc60253871ef5e87"
}, {
"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%905598"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/bcgit/bc-java/wiki/CVE-2026-5598"
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-385" ],
"severity" : "HIGH",
"github_reviewed" : true,
"github_reviewed_at" : "2026-04-25T23:25:24Z",
"nvd_published_at" : "2026-04-15T10:16:49Z"
}
}