CVE-2026-34068: nimiq Signature Bypass — Fix

Description

nimiq-transaction provides the transaction primitive to be used in Nimiq's Rust implementation. Prior to version 1.3.0, the staking contract accepts `UpdateValidator` transactions that set `new_voting_key=Some(...)` while omitting `new_proof_of_knowledge`. this skips the proof-of-knowledge requirement that is needed to prevent BLS rogue-key attacks when public keys are aggregated. Because tendermint macro block justification verification aggregates validator voting keys and verifies a single aggregated BLS signature against that aggregate public key, a rogue-key voting key in the validator set can allow an attacker to forge a quorum-looking justification while only producing a single signature. While the impact is critical, the exploitability is low: The voting keys are fixed for the epoch, so the attacker would need to know the next epoch validator set (chosen through VRF), which is unlikely. The patch for this vulnerability is included as part of v1.3.0. No known workarounds are available.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

6.8

MEDIUM

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:N

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0001

Probability of exploitation

0.01%

Percentile rank

EPSS estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A higher score means more likely to be exploited.

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-347 CWE-347

Affected Products

Vendor	Product	Versions
nimiq	nimiq_proof-of-stake	< 1.3.0

References

Advisories & Patches

https://github.com/nimiq/core-rs-albatross/commit/e7f0ab7d2115e17d6e5548ddc60f10df1a5d645f https://github.com/nimiq/core-rs-albatross/pull/3654 https://github.com/nimiq/core-rs-albatross/security/advisories/GHSA-pf4j-pf3w-95f9

Other References

https://github.com/nimiq/core-rs-albatross/releases/tag/v1.3.0

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-34068? +

nimiq-transaction provides the transaction primitive to be used in Nimiq's Rust implementation. Prior to version 1.3.0, the staking contract accepts `UpdateValidator` transactions that set `new_voting_key=Some(...)` while omitting `new_proof_of_knowledge`. this skips the proof-of-knowledge requirement that is needed to prevent BLS rogue-key attacks when public keys are aggregated. Because tendermint macro block justification verification aggregates validator voting keys and verifies a single aggregated BLS signature against that aggregate public key, a rogue-key voting key in the validator set can allow an attacker to forge a quorum-looking justification while only producing a single signature. While the impact is critical, the exploitability is low: The voting keys are fixed for the epoch, so the attacker would need to know the next epoch validator set (chosen through VRF), which is unlikely. The patch for this vulnerability is included as part of v1.3.0. No known workarounds are available. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.8 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2026-34068? +

CVE-2026-34068 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 6.8 out of 10, rated MEDIUM. This is a medium-severity vulnerability that should be remediated as part of regular maintenance. The EPSS score is 0.0001, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.

What products are affected by CVE-2026-34068? +

CVE-2026-34068 affects products from nimiq, specifically: nimiq_proof-of-stake. Check the affected products table above for specific version ranges.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-34068? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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