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Full vulnerability report · 2026
CVE-2026-84308High confidence

phpseclib — non-constant-time X25519 scalar multiplication permits full private-key recovery

phpseclib · phpseclib

Official source article: GitHub GHSA-Q97C-8QH3-FPC6 ↗. Check the applicable product and release in the original source.

6.3MediumCVSS 3.1
Recommended action
Within 7 days

Medium technical severity with public exploit material referenced by a structured source; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.

Fix not verified
R
Operational reassessment

Published severity in operational context

Open reassessment dashboard →
Published severityMediumOperational priority:Medium, unchanged from published severity.unchanged

Evidence used

  • No CISA KEV confirmation is currently recorded.
  • A structured source references public exploit or proof-of-concept material.
  • Exploitation requires an existing local or physical foothold with privileges.
  • EPSS is 0.33% for the current model date.

Compensating controls

  • Restrict local access and enforce least privilege on affected hosts.
  • Increase monitoring for the attack path and post-exploitation behaviour described in the report.

Verification

  1. Confirm that the asset runs phpseclib phpseclib and falls inside the recorded affected range.
  2. Recheck the vendor advisory before scheduling a change because no verified fixed version is currently retained.
  3. Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
  4. Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
Mitigation target: As exposure requiresRemediation target: Within 365 days

This automated reassessment organises public evidence. It does not know asset exposure, business impact or control effectiveness and does not replace CVSS or a human risk decision.

Distribution package intelligence

Release-specific package status

Debian, ubuntu findings are scoped to the named distribution, release and source package. An absent finding does not mean a package is unaffected.

16 package states
Repository candidate not checked

A published vendor fix does not prove that a matching update is enabled and installable on a particular asset. Confirm the local package candidate before scheduling remediation.

Distribution releaseSource packageVendor stateFixed versionEvidence
Debian trixietrixie · sourcephp-phpseclibNot affectedDebian marks this release not affected (fixed-version marker 0).Not published in this feedDebian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 5 Oct 2026
Debian trixietrixie · sourcephp-phpseclib3Affected, no fix publishedDebian currently tracks this release as open.Not published in this feedDebian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 5 Oct 2026
Debian trixietrixie · sourcephpseclibNot affectedDebian marks this release not affected (fixed-version marker 0).Not published in this feedDebian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 5 Oct 2026
Debian bookwormbookworm · sourcephp-phpseclibNot affectedDebian marks this release not affected (fixed-version marker 0).Not published in this feedDebian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 5 Oct 2026
Debian bookwormbookworm · sourcephp-phpseclib3Affected, no fix publishedDebian currently tracks this release as open.Not published in this feedDebian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 5 Oct 2026
Debian bookwormbookworm · sourcephpseclibNot affectedDebian marks this release not affected (fixed-version marker 0).Not published in this feedDebian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 5 Oct 2026
Debian forkyforky · sourcephp-phpseclibNot affectedDebian marks this release not affected (fixed-version marker 0).Not published in this feedDebian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 5 Oct 2026
Debian forkyforky · sourcephp-phpseclib3Vendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release.3.0.57-1Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 5 Oct 2026
Debian forkyforky · sourcephp-phpseclib4Vendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release.4.0.1-1Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 5 Oct 2026
Debian sidsid · sourcephp-phpseclibNot affectedDebian marks this release not affected (fixed-version marker 0).Not published in this feedDebian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 5 Oct 2026
Debian sidsid · sourcephp-phpseclib3Vendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release.3.0.57-1Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 5 Oct 2026
Debian sidsid · sourcephp-phpseclib4Vendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release.4.0.1-1Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 5 Oct 2026
Debian sidsid · sourcephpseclibNot affectedDebian marks this release not affected (fixed-version marker 0).Not published in this feedDebian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 5 Oct 2026
Ubuntu 24.04 LTSnoble · esm-appsphp-phpseclibUnder evaluationCanonical reports that the package might be affected and still needs evaluation or fixing.Not published in this feedCanonical Ubuntu Security ↗Source updated 5 Oct 2026
Ubuntu 24.04 LTSnoble · esm-appsphpseclibUnder evaluationCanonical reports that the package might be affected and still needs evaluation or fixing.Not published in this feedCanonical Ubuntu Security ↗Source updated 5 Oct 2026
Ubuntu 24.04 LTSnoble · standard archivephp-phpseclib3Under evaluationCanonical reports that the package might be affected and still needs evaluation or fixing.Not published in this feedCanonical Ubuntu Security ↗Source updated 5 Oct 2026
Open-source package ranges4 source-attributed ranges

These OSV and GitHub advisory ranges apply only to the named package and ecosystem. A listed fixed version is not a universal product patch or proof that an update is installed.

Ecosystem and packageAffected rangeFirst fixed versionEvidence
Packagistphpseclib/phpseclibECOSYSTEM: introduced 0; fixed 3.0.573.0.57OSV record ↗aggregator derived · 29 Sep 2026
Packagistphpseclib/phpseclibECOSYSTEM: introduced 4.0.0; fixed 4.0.14.0.1OSV record ↗aggregator derived · 29 Sep 2026
composerphpseclib/phpseclib< 3.0.573.0.57GitHub advisory ↗upstream repository advisory · 29 Sep 2026
composerphpseclib/phpseclib>= 4.0.0, < 4.0.14.0.1GitHub advisory ↗upstream repository advisory · 29 Sep 2026
Direct vendor intelligence

Authoritative vendor CSAF and VEX advisories

Structured product status and remediation from the issuing vendor. Product-state explanations are always visible; large lists can be searched or downloaded.

1 current
CVE-2026-84308 · CSAF 2.0 · revision 3 · finalRed Hat Product Securityphp-phpseclib: phpseclib: Private-key recovery via non-constant-time X25519 scalar multiplication
1 known not affected

The vendor explicitly states that these products are not affected by this CVE.

  • All currently supported Red Hat products
Summary
A flaw was found in phpseclib, a PHP secure communications library. This vulnerability arises from non-constant-time X25519 scalar multiplication, where data-dependent conditional modular reductions create observable timing differences or variations in libgmp call counts. A local attacker, capable of resolving individual ladder steps, can exploit this by observing these differences during operations involving a reused or long-lived X25519 private key. Successful exploitation leads to the full recovery of the private key, compromising any operations that rely on it.
Remediation
No remediation text is recorded.
Optional official sources

National CERT insights
?CERT means Computer Emergency Response Team; CSIRT is the closely related term Computer Security Incident Response Team.

Choose official national sources for this report. Each advisory shows its original language. Your selection is remembered on this device and included in shared links.

Official European source

ENISA European Vulnerability Database

Official EUVD identifiers, advisory evidence and known-exploited context. Missing fields are not treated as evidence of low risk.

1 current
ENISA EUVD identifier

EUVD-2026-69576

No EUVD known-exploited evidence

phpseclib — non-constant-time X25519 scalar multiplication permits full private-key recovery

EUVD state
Present in the current official mapping
Known exploitation
Not present in the current ENISA EUVD known-exploited dataset. This is not proof of no exploitation.
ENISA score
6.3 · CVSS 3.1
Advisory evidence
No linked advisory details stored yet
Recommended actionWithin 7 days

Medium technical severity with public exploit material referenced by a structured source; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.

Fix not verified
01

What, why and how

phpseclib is a PHP secure communications library. Prior to 3.0.57 and 4.0.1, pure-PHP X25519 scalar multiplication in phpseclib/Math/PrimeField/Integer.php performs data-dependent conditional modular reductions in add() and subtract(). During the Montgomery ladder in phpseclib/Crypt/EC/BaseCurves/Montgomery.php, the reduction behavior of each step depends on the secret scalar prefix, creating per-step timing and libgmp call-count observations that can reveal a reused 251-bit clamped private scalar. The phpseclib/Crypt/EC/Formats/Keys/MontgomeryPrivate.php derivation path invokes the pure-PHP multiplication without a native-engine check, while phpseclib/Crypt/EC/Formats/Keys/PKCS8.php reaches it when ext-sodium is unavailable. Exploitation requires a reused or long-lived X25519 private key, knowledge of the corresponding public key, execution of the pure-PHP path, and a local observer capable of resolving individual ladder steps or libgmp entry-point calls. Ephemeral X25519 keys, including phpseclib's normal SSH exchange path, are not affected. Recovery of the scalar permanently compromises operations that reuse that key. This issue is fixed in versions 3.0.57 and 4.0.1.

What

phpseclib is a PHP secure communications library. Prior to 3.0.57 and 4.0.1, pure-PHP X25519 scalar multiplication in phpseclib/Math/PrimeField/Integer.php performs data-dependent conditional modular reductions in add() and subtract(). During the Montgomery ladder in phpseclib/Crypt/EC/BaseCurves/Montgomery.php, the reduction behavior of each step depends on the secret scalar prefix, creating per-step timing and libgmp call-count observations that can reveal a reused 251-bit clamped private scalar. The phpseclib/Crypt/EC/Formats/Keys/MontgomeryPrivate.php derivation path invokes the pure-PHP multiplication without a native-engine check, while phpseclib/Crypt/EC/Formats/Keys/PKCS8.php reaches it when ext-sodium is unavailable. Exploitation requires a reused or long-lived X25519 private key, knowledge of the corresponding public key, execution of the pure-PHP path, and a local observer capable of resolving individual ladder steps or libgmp entry-point calls. Ephemeral X25519 keys, including phpseclib's normal SSH exchange path, are not affected. Recovery of the scalar permanently compromises operations that reuse that key. This issue is fixed in versions 3.0.57 and 4.0.1.

Why

Two separate operations in a product require different amounts of time to complete, in a way that is observable to an actor and reveals security-relevant information about the state of the product, such as whether a particular operation was successful or not.

How

An attacker operating through local access may attempt exploitation with low privileges. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.

What

phpseclib is a PHP secure communications library. Prior to 3.0.57 and 4.0.1, pure-PHP X25519 scalar multiplication in phpseclib/Math/PrimeField/Integer.php performs data-dependent conditional modular reductions in add() and subtract(). During the Montgomery ladder in phpseclib/Crypt/EC/BaseCurves/Montgomery.php, the reduction behavior of each step depends on the secret scalar prefix, creating per-step timing and libgmp call-count observations that can reveal a reused 251-bit clamped private scalar. The phpseclib/Crypt/EC/Formats/Keys/MontgomeryPrivate.php derivation path invokes the pure-PHP multiplication without a native-engine check, while phpseclib/Crypt/EC/Formats/Keys/PKCS8.php reaches it when ext-sodium is unavailable. Exploitation requires a reused or long-lived X25519 private key, knowledge of the corresponding public key, execution of the pure-PHP path, and a local observer capable of resolving individual ladder steps or libgmp entry-point calls. Ephemeral X25519 keys, including phpseclib's normal SSH exchange path, are not affected. Recovery of the scalar permanently compromises operations that reuse that key. This issue is fixed in versions 3.0.57 and 4.0.1.

Why

Two separate operations in a product require different amounts of time to complete, in a way that is observable to an actor and reveals security-relevant information about the state of the product, such as whether a particular operation was successful or not.

How

An attacker operating through local access may attempt exploitation with low privileges. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.

02

Exploit reality and attack path

CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.

Observed exploitation
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
No confirmed evidence

No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.

Public PoC / exploit material
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
Reference recorded

CISA Vulnrichment records proof-of-concept exploitation in its SSVC data. BlackTree has not independently executed or validated exploit material.

Likely attack path
local access → Observable Timing Discrepancy → cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor
Attack surface
Local
Privileges required
Low: a basic authenticated account is required
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
High: exploitation depends on specific conditions
Security boundary
Unchanged: impact remains within the vulnerable component's security authority
Weakness
?CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness.
CWE-208 ↗

CWE-208: Observable Timing Discrepancy. Two separate operations in a product require different amounts of time to complete, in a way that is observable to an actor and reveals security-relevant information about the state of the product, such as whether a particular operation was successful or not.

CVSS vector
?CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

Common Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.

AVLocalAttack vector: The attacker needs local access to the vulnerable system.ACHighAttack complexity: Successful exploitation depends on specific conditions outside the attacker's direct control.PRLowPrivileges required: The attacker needs basic user-level privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.SUnchangedScope: The security impact remains within the vulnerable component's authority.CHighConfidentiality impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.IHighIntegrity impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.ANoneAvailability impact: No direct loss is represented by this metric.
Post-exploitation / living off the land
The issue can support a local privilege or sandbox boundary transition; normal system utilities may then be available in the gained context.
CWE-208Public exploit reference
A

Official authority intelligence

Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.

ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2026-69576Official EUVD mapping

phpseclib — non-constant-time X25519 scalar multiplication permits full private-key recovery

Official EUVD record ↗
03

Patch and workaround

Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.

Status
?Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change.
Fix not verified
Affected
phpseclib: < 3.0.57, >= 4.0.0, < 4.0.1
Fixed
No fixed version is explicitly recorded in the structured CVE data.
Action
No verified patch reference is present in the current structured sources. Check the vendor advisory before making a change.
Workaround
No verified workaround is recorded. Limit untrusted access and use least privilege until authoritative guidance is available.
04

Evidence and provenance

Published 1 Sept 2026 · Last source change 3 Sept 2026, 17:41 UTC · CWE-208 · Observable Timing Discrepancy

CVE recordCVE.org · 5.2
CVSS sourceCNA
EPSS source
?The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.
FIRST · tracked since 2026-09-02
European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2026-69576
Product sourceCNA
Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references
CWE sourceCNA
NVD statusNVD not scheduled

Core structured fields are present and their contributing authorities are shown above.

Material change intelligence

What changed after publication

View recent updates ↗
  1. Public exploit evidencePublic exploit evidence changed from No public exploit to Public exploit reference.
    Before
    No public exploit
    After
    Public exploit reference
    CVE.org ↗
  2. ENISA EUVD mappingEUVD-2026-69576 was added to the official ENISA EUVD mapping for this CVE.
    Before
    not recorded
    After
    {"euvdId":"EUVD-2026-69576"}
    ENISA EUVD ↗
  3. Catalogue recordCVE added to the BlackTree catalogue.
    CNA ↗
Material fields only · duplicate refreshes suppressed · history retained for the configured operational retention period
CVE published
ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2026-69576↗Vendor CSAF · Red Hat Product Security↗CISA Vulnrichment SSVC evidence↗CVE authority or vendor reference · GitHub GHSA-Q97C-8QH3-FPC6↗Official CVE record (CNA and ADP data)↗NVD record↗
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
CVE
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
CVSS
Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
EPSS
Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
CWE
Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
CNA
CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
CISA ADP
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
NVD
National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
CERT / CSIRT
A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
PoC
Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
CSAF
Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
LoTL
Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.
Free version - for non-commercial use only.CVE-2026-84308 · cve.blacktree.nl