CVE-2026-71225
Libkcapi: iv reuse in libkcapi one-shot symmetric cipher chunking causes cipher state reset across chunk boundaries
A flaw was found in libkcapi. When performing one-shot symmetric cipher operations on large inputs (over 64 KiB) in stateful modes such as Counter (CTR) or Cipher Block Chaining (CBC), the library improperly reuses the Initialization Vector (IV) for each internal data chunk. A remote attacker could potentially exploit this by making an application that uses libkcapi process specially crafted large inputs. This can lead to a significant weakening of data confidentiality, as the repeated IV use can expose relationships in encrypted plaintext, and may also affect data integrity by causing incorrect cryptographic processing.
Fixes and workarounds
Workaround
To mitigate this issue, applications using `libkcapi` should avoid the one-shot symmetric cipher APIs for inputs exceeding 64 KiB when continuous-message semantics are critical. Instead, prefer the streaming interface for processing large messages, or ensure one-shot inputs remain below the internal chunking threshold to guarantee the IV is applied consistently throughout the operation.
Source: CNA: redhatAffected products and versions
| Product | Versions | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| libkcapi Stephan Muelle |
≥ 0.10.1; < 1.5.1 (affected, semver)
Other versions: unaffected |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 Red Hat libkcapi
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
≥ 0:1.5.1-1.el10_2; < * (unaffected, rpm)
Other versions: affected |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10.0 Extended Update Support Red Hat libkcapi
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
≥ 0:1.5.0-6.el10_0; < * (unaffected, rpm)
Other versions: affected |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 Red Hat libkcapi
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
≥ 0:1.4.0-3.el8_10; < * (unaffected, rpm)
Other versions: affected |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 Red Hat libkcapi
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
≥ 0:1.4.0-3.el9_8; < * (unaffected, rpm)
Other versions: affected |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.6 Extended Update Support Red Hat libkcapi
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
≥ 0:1.4.0-2.el9_6.1; < * (unaffected, rpm)
Other versions: affected |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat Hardened Images Red Hat libkcapi-main
https://catalog.redhat.com/software/containers/ |
≥ 1.5.1-0.1.hum1; < * (unaffected, rpm)
Other versions: affected |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 Red Hat openshift/ose-rhel-coreos-8
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
Range not reported
Other versions: affected |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 Red Hat openshift/ose-rhel-coreos-9
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
Range not reported
Other versions: affected |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5 Red Hat openshift/ose-rhel-coreos-9
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
Range not reported
Other versions: affected |
CNA: redhat |
Version ranges are source assertions. Check the vendor advisory and your installed configuration before determining exposure.
CVSS assessments
| Version / score | Vector | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| 3.1 / 6.5 medium |
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N | CNA: redhat |
Exploit evidence
No exploit evidence in collected sources. This is not proof of no exploitation.
References
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:56985CNA: redhat · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:67265CNA: redhat · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:67266CNA: redhat · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:67267CNA: redhat · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:69285CNA: redhat · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:87712CNA: redhat · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-71225CNA: redhat · vdb-entry, x_refsource_REDHAT
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2462011CNA: redhat · issue-tracking, x_refsource_REDHAT