CVE-2026-85393 — node-forge through 1.4.0 RSA PKCS#1 v1.5 Signature Forgery via Nested DigestAlgorithm Padding
node-forge through 1.4.0 fails to validate element count in nested DigestAlgorithm sequences during RSA PKCS#1 v1.5 signature verification. Attackers can embed garbage bytes inside the DigestAlgorithm sequence to forge valid signatures for arbitrary messages using low-exponent RSA keys. This is an incomplete fix for CVE-2026-33894.
Who exploits it and how urgent it is
A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.
How the score was calculated
- Technical severity (high)+6
- CISA SSVC: exploitation "poc"+5
- Automatable exploitation (SSVC)+3
The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).
Triage
Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.
CISA SSVC assessment CISA
Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.
Remediation
Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.
No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.
First 24 hours
Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.
- Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Digital Bazaar Forge).
- The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
- No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
- Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (cryptography), errors and authentication anomalies.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digital Bazaar | Forge | ≤ 1.4.0 | Vulnerable | CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
Attack characteristics
The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.
Every base score collected
Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.
| Score | Version | Severity | Expl. | Impact | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.7 | CVSS 4.0 | High | — | — | disclosure@vulncheck.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 8.7 | CVSS 4.0 | High | — | — | VulnCheck via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| 7.5 | CVSS 3.1 | High | 3.9 | 3.6 | disclosure@vulncheck.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 7.5 | CVSS 3.1 | High | — | — | VulnCheck via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N (score shown at the top: disclosure@vulncheck.com) Weakness MITRE
Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.
Detection
Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.
- Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
- Check TLS negotiations and unexpected certificates in the component’s traffic.
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- Affected products added · digitalbazaar/forge
- SSVC assessment updated
- Record published
- CVSS changed · 7.5
- Source status changed · → Deferred
- Record created in this database
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 15, 2026 – Oct 15, 2026
References
6 on the record
- github.com/digitalbazaar/forge/issues/1149
- www.vulncheck.com/advisories/node-forge-through-1.4.0-rsa-pkcs-1-1.5-signature-forgery-
- github.com/advisories/GHSA-ppp5-5v6c-4jwp
- github.com/digitalbazaar/forge/blob/v1.4.0/lib/rsa.js
- github.com/digitalbazaar/forge
- github.com/digitalbazaar/forge/blob/v1.4.0/lib/asn1.js
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- High CVE-2026-33895 Forge has signature forgery in Ed25519 due to missing S > L check Mar 27, 2026
- Critical CVE-2026-33896 Forge has a basicConstraints bypass in its certificate chain verification (RFC 5280 violation) Mar 27, 2026
- High CVE-2026-33891 Forge has Denial of Service via Infinite Loop in BigInteger.modInverse() with Zero Input Mar 27, 2026
- High CVE-2026-33894 Forge has signature forgery in RSA-PKCS due to ASN.1 extra field Mar 27, 2026
- Medium CVE-2025-66030 node-forge ASN.1 OID Integer Truncation Nov 26, 2025
- High CVE-2025-66031 node-forge ASN.1 Unbounded Recursion Nov 26, 2025
Not in any source we poll
Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.
- No FIRST EPSS score.
- No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
- No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
- No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
- No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.
Answered from this record
Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.
What should defenders know first?
CVE-2026-85393 is "node-forge through 1.4.0 RSA PKCS#1 v1.5 Signature Forgery via Nested DigestAlgorithm Padding", rated High. It affects Forge (Digital Bazaar); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 7.5 describes technical severity. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.
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