CVE-2026-5460
Heap Use-After-Free in PQC Hybrid KeyShare Error Cleanup in wolfSSL TLS 1.3
Description
A heap use-after-free exists in wolfSSL's TLS 1.3 post-quantum cryptography (PQC) hybrid KeyShare processing. In the error handling path of TLSX_KeyShare_ProcessPqcHybridClient() in src/tls.c, the inner function TLSX_KeyShare_ProcessPqcClient_ex() frees a KyberKey object upon encountering an error. The caller then invokes TLSX_KeyShare_FreeAll(), which attempts to call ForceZero() on the already-freed KyberKey, resulting in writes of zero bytes over freed heap memory.
INFO
Published Date :
April 10, 2026, 12:16 a.m.
Last Modified :
April 29, 2026, 2 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
Yes !
Source :
[email protected]
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | MEDIUM | [email protected] | ||||
| CVSS 4.0 | MEDIUM | 50d2cd11-d01a-48ed-9441-5bfce9d63b27 | ||||
| CVSS 4.0 | MEDIUM | [email protected] |
Solution
- Update wolfSSL to a patched version.
- Review error handling in TLSX_KeyShare_ProcessPqcHybridClient().
- Ensure KyberKey is freed correctly.
- Verify ForceZero() is not called on freed memory.
Public PoC/Exploit Available at Github
CVE-2026-5460 has a 1 public
PoC/Exploit available at Github.
Go to the Public Exploits tab to see the list.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2026-5460.
| URL | Resource |
|---|---|
| https://github.com/wolfssl/wolfssl/pull/10092 | Issue Tracking Patch |
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-5460 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-5460
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
The wolfSSL library is a small, fast, portable implementation of TLS/SSL for embedded devices to the cloud. wolfSSL supports up to TLS 1.3 and DTLS 1.3! Update to wolfSSL 5.9.1 for the latest CVE fixes.
ssl tls cryptography security openssl tls13 dtls https fips cryptography-api embedded-systems encryption iot trusted-execution-environment openssl-alternative c-library wolfssl cipher-suites openssl-api sniffer
C Shell Makefile Tcl Assembly C++ XS Perl C# M4
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-5460 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-5460 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
-
Initial Analysis by [email protected]
Apr. 29, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CVSS V3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:a:wolfssl:wolfssl:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (excluding) 5.9.1 Added Reference Type wolfSSL Inc.: https://github.com/wolfssl/wolfssl/pull/10092 Types: Issue Tracking, Patch -
New CVE Received by [email protected]
Apr. 10, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description A heap use-after-free exists in wolfSSL's TLS 1.3 post-quantum cryptography (PQC) hybrid KeyShare processing. In the error handling path of TLSX_KeyShare_ProcessPqcHybridClient() in src/tls.c, the inner function TLSX_KeyShare_ProcessPqcClient_ex() frees a KyberKey object upon encountering an error. The caller then invokes TLSX_KeyShare_FreeAll(), which attempts to call ForceZero() on the already-freed KyberKey, resulting in writes of zero bytes over freed heap memory. Added CVSS V4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X Added CWE CWE-416 Added Reference https://github.com/wolfssl/wolfssl/pull/10092