Vulnerabilities in pkg:maven/io.netty.incubator/netty-incubator-codec-ohttp-hpke-classes-boringssl
PACKAGECVE-2026-61798 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.1) boringssl hpke private key bytes vulnerability (CWE-312: Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information) affecting netty-incubator-codec-ohttp libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves boringssl hpke private key bytes exposed through tostring() and exception messages. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.0.23.Final.
pkg:maven/io.netty.incubator/netty-incubator-codec-ohttp-hpke-classes-boringssl
Vulnerability advisories affecting package pkg:maven/io.netty.incubator/netty-incubator-codec-ohttp-hpke-classes-boringssl. Select an advisory below to view technical details or fixes.
| Advisory ID | CVE / NVD | Severity | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| GHSA-2mc4-j865-9q4r | CVE-2026-61798 | HIGH | netty-incubator-codec-ohttp: BoringSSL HPKE private key bytes exposed through toString() and exception messages |
CVE-2026-61798 at a Glance
Security Impact
CVSS: 8.1
The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N).
How to Fix CVE-2026-61798
To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected netty-incubator-codec-ohttp 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>io.netty.incubator</groupId>
<artifactId>netty-incubator-codec-ohttp-hpke-classes-boringssl</artifactId>
<version>0.0.23.Final</version>
</dependency>
Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:
mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=io.netty.incubator
How to Check if You Are Affected
To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2026-61798, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:
mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=io.netty.incubator
Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of netty-incubator-codec-ohttp in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.0.23.Final), your application is affected.
Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=io.netty.incubator 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-312: Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information, where the product stores sensitive information in cleartext within a resource that might be accessible to another control sphere. In netty-incubator-codec-ohttp, 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-2026-61798 Affected netty-incubator-codec-ohttp Versions
1 component(s)| Product / Package | Ecosystem | Affected Versions | Fixed Version |
|---|---|---|---|
|
io.netty.incubator:netty-incubator-codec-ohttp-hpke-classes-boringssl
|
Maven |
< 0.0.23.Final
|
0.0.23.Final
|
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2026-61798?
Which netty-incubator-codec-ohttp versions are affected?
What version fixes CVE-2026-61798?
Is netty-incubator-codec-ohttp-hpke-classes-boringssl affected?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-61798?
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-61798?
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2026-61798?
Machine-readable OSV JSON
OSV v1.5 Schema
{
"schema_version" : "1.4.0",
"id" : "GHSA-2mc4-j865-9q4r",
"modified" : "2026-08-20T18:43:18Z",
"published" : "2026-08-20T18:43:17Z",
"aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-61798" ],
"summary" : "netty-incubator-codec-ohttp: BoringSSL HPKE private key bytes exposed through toString() and exception messages",
"details" : "## Summary\n\n`io.netty.incubator:netty-incubator-codec-ohttp-hpke-classes-boringssl` exposes raw HPKE private key bytes in string representations and error messages. `BoringSSLAsymmetricCipherKeyPair.toString()` includes the private-key parameter object, and `BoringSSLAsymmetricKeyParameter.toString()` renders the full byte array with `Arrays.toString(bytes)`. Separately, failed native key initialization includes `Arrays.toString(privateKeyBytes)` in the thrown `IllegalArgumentException` message. Applications that log key-pair objects or exceptions can persist private key material in logs.\n\n## Details\n\n`codec-ohttp-hpke-classes-boringssl/src/main/java/io/netty/incubator/codec/hpke/boringssl/BoringSSLAsymmetricCipherKeyPair.java` renders private key material through `toString()`:\n\n- `BoringSSLAsymmetricCipherKeyPair.toString()` at lines 72-78 concatenates `\"privateKey=\" + privateKey`.\n- `privateKey` is a `BoringSSLAsymmetricKeyParameter` created with `isPrivate=true` at lines 26-36.\n\n`codec-ohttp-hpke-classes-boringssl/src/main/java/io/netty/incubator/codec/hpke/boringssl/BoringSSLAsymmetricKeyParameter.java` then renders all bytes:\n\n- `BoringSSLAsymmetricKeyParameter.toString()` at lines 70-76 returns `\"bytes=\" + Arrays.toString(bytes)` regardless of whether `isPrivate` is true.\n\nA separate error path in `codec-ohttp-hpke-classes-boringssl/src/main/java/io/netty/incubator/codec/hpke/boringssl/BoringSSL.java` also exposes caller-provided private key bytes:\n\n- `EVP_HPKE_KEY_init_or_throw(...)` at lines 228-232 throws `IllegalArgumentException(\"privateKeyBytes does not contain a valid private key: \" + Arrays.toString(privateKeyBytes))` when BoringSSL rejects the key.\n\nBecause Java logging frameworks commonly call `toString()` for structured objects and commonly persist exception messages, these paths can place complete HPKE private key material in logs or telemetry.\n\n## Proof of concept\n\nSafe local verification was performed without native BoringSSL by compiling the relevant Java classes and a no-op native stub for the unused finalizer reference. The observed output includes the full private key byte array:\n\n```text\nBoringSSLAsymmetricCipherKeyPair{privateKey=BoringSSLAsymmetricKeyParameter{bytes=[1, 2, 3, 4], isPrivate=true}, publicKey=BoringSSLAsymmetricKeyParameter{bytes=[5, 6, 7, 8], isPrivate=false}}\n```\n\nMinimal reproducer concept in the same package:\n\n```java\npackage io.netty.incubator.codec.hpke.boringssl;\n\npublic final class VerifyPrivateKeyToString {\n public static void main(String[] args) {\n byte[] privateKey = new byte[] {1, 2, 3, 4};\n byte[] publicKey = new byte[] {5, 6, 7, 8};\n BoringSSLAsymmetricCipherKeyPair pair = new BoringSSLAsymmetricCipherKeyPair(privateKey, publicKey);\n System.out.println(pair.toString());\n }\n}\n```\n\nThe code path is deterministic: the production `toString()` methods concatenate the raw private-key byte array.\n\n## Impact\n\nIf an affected key pair or initialization exception is logged, application logs contain complete HPKE private key material. Anyone with access to those logs can recover the key. Depending on key reuse and log retention, this can compromise:\n\n- confidentiality of OHTTP messages encrypted to the exposed key;\n- integrity/authenticity expectations for future messages if the key remains active;\n- incident response and key rotation assumptions, because logs may retain key material long after the in-memory key is rotated.\n\n## Suggested remediation\n\n- Redact private key material in `BoringSSLAsymmetricKeyParameter.toString()` when `isPrivate` is true, for example `bytes=<redacted>` or only key type/length.\n- Redact `privateKey` in `BoringSSLAsymmetricCipherKeyPair.toString()`.\n- Remove `Arrays.toString(privateKeyBytes)` from `BoringSSL.EVP_HPKE_KEY_init_or_throw(...)`; report only length and KEM metadata.\n- Add regression tests asserting that `toString()` and exception messages do not contain private key byte values.\n- Consider making key pair classes avoid implementing detailed `toString()` for sensitive material entirely.\n\n## References\n\n- `codec-ohttp-hpke-classes-boringssl/src/main/java/io/netty/incubator/codec/hpke/boringssl/BoringSSLAsymmetricCipherKeyPair.java:72-78`\n- `codec-ohttp-hpke-classes-boringssl/src/main/java/io/netty/incubator/codec/hpke/boringssl/BoringSSLAsymmetricKeyParameter.java:70-76`\n- `codec-ohttp-hpke-classes-boringssl/src/main/java/io/netty/incubator/codec/hpke/boringssl/BoringSSL.java:228-232`",
"severity" : [ {
"type" : "CVSS_V3",
"score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N"
} ],
"affected" : [ {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "io.netty.incubator:netty-incubator-codec-ohttp-hpke-classes-boringssl"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "0"
}, {
"fixed" : "0.0.23.Final"
} ]
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 0.0.22.Final"
}
} ],
"references" : [ {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/netty/netty-incubator-codec-ohttp/security/advisories/GHSA-2mc4-j865-9q4r"
}, {
"type" : "PACKAGE",
"url" : "https://github.com/netty/netty-incubator-codec-ohttp"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/netty/netty-incubator-codec-ohttp/releases/tag/netty-incubator-codec-parent-ohttp-0.0.23.Final"
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-200", "CWE-312", "CWE-532" ],
"severity" : "HIGH",
"github_reviewed" : true,
"github_reviewed_at" : "2026-08-20T18:43:17Z",
"nvd_published_at" : null
}
}