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CVE Record

CVE-2026-34986: Go JOSE affect by a panic in JWE decryption

Go JOSE provides an implementation of the Javascript Object Signing and Encryption set of standards in Go, including support for JSON Web Encryption (JWE), JSON Web Signature (JWS), and JSON Web Token (JWT) standards. Prior to 4.1.4 and 3.0.5, decrypting a JSON Web Encryption (JWE) object will panic if the alg field indicates a key wrapping algorithm (one ending in KW, with the exception of A128GCMKW, A192GCMKW, and A256GCMKW) and the encrypted_key field is empty. The panic happens when cipher.KeyUnwrap() in key_wrap.go attempts to allocate a slice with a zero or negative length based on the length of the encrypted_key. This code path is reachable from ParseEncrypted() / ParseEncryptedJSON() / ParseEncryptedCompact() followed by Decrypt() on the resulting object. Note that the parse functions take a list of accepted key algorithms. If the accepted key algorithms do not include any key wrapping algorithms, parsing will fail and the application will be unaffected. This panic is also reachable by calling cipher.KeyUnwrap() directly with any ciphertext parameter less than 16 bytes long, but calling this function directly is less common. Panics can lead to denial of service. This vulnerability is fixed in 4.1.4 and 3.0.5.

HighCVSS 7.5Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysishigh

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2026-34986 is a denial-of-service issue in go-jose. A malformed encrypted token can make vulnerable Go applications panic during JWE decryption, potentially interrupting authentication or token-processing services. The issue is fixed in go-jose 4.1.4 and 3.0.5.

Executive priority

Prioritize patching internet-facing authentication, API gateway, and token-processing services. This is not a data theft finding from the provided evidence, but service interruption risk is credible and patch versions are available.

Technical view

Before go-jose 4.1.4 and 3.0.5, JWE decryption can panic when alg selects certain KW key-wrapping algorithms and encrypted_key is empty. The path is ParseEncrypted, ParseEncryptedJSON, or ParseEncryptedCompact followed by Decrypt. Direct cipher.KeyUnwrap calls with ciphertext under 16 bytes are also affected.

Likely exposure

Exposure is likely in Go services using go-jose versions >=4.0.0 before 4.1.4 or v3 before 3.0.5, especially where untrusted JWE input is decrypted and accepted algorithms include vulnerable KW algorithms.

Exploitation context

Sources describe a network-reachable, unauthenticated availability impact with low attack complexity. The bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or cited evidence of active exploitation, so active exploitation should not be assumed.

Researcher notes

The affected condition depends on algorithm allowlists. If accepted key algorithms exclude vulnerable key-wrapping algorithms, parsing fails before the panic path. A128GCMKW, A192GCMKW, and A256GCMKW are noted exceptions in the source bundle.

Mitigation direction

  • Upgrade go-jose v4 to 4.1.4 or later.
  • Upgrade go-jose v3 to 3.0.5 or later.
  • Apply relevant Red Hat errata where go-jose is packaged downstream.
  • Remove KW algorithms from accepted JWE parse lists if not required.
  • Review vendor guidance for any product-specific fixes or mitigations.

Validation and detection

  • Check go.mod, go.sum, SBOMs, and vendored code for go-jose versions.
  • Inspect JWE parsing code for accepted KW key-wrapping algorithms.
  • Confirm untrusted JWE decryption paths call patched go-jose libraries.
  • Review logs for recurring Go panics around JWE decryption.
  • Verify Red Hat package status against the listed RHSA advisories.
Prepared
Confidence
high
Sources
12

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

ATT&CK lookup starting points

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cwe · low confidence lookup

CWE-131: Exact CWE lookup

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cwe · low confidence lookup

CWE-248: Exact CWE lookup

Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.

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description · low confidence lookup

Credential and access behavior lookup

The CVE wording references authentication or credential exposure, so valid-account and credential-access review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.

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cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2026-34986 mapping review

Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
High
CVSS
7.5 (3.1)
Known Exploited
No
Published

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

Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

2CVSS vectors
5Timeline events
2ADP providers
43Source links

SSVC decision data

CISA-ADPCISA Coordinator
Timestamp
Version
2.0.3
Exploitation: noneAutomatable: yesTechnical Impact: partial

CVSS vector scores

2 official scores

We collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
7.5CVSS 3.1HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H3.93.6GitHub_M
7.5CVSS 3.1HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H3.93.6redhat-SADP

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.1 score

7.5High
CVSS 3.1 vector shape for CVE-2026-34986Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

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

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NoneRequired
Scope
ChangedUnchanged
Confidentiality Impact
HighLowNone
Integrity Impact
HighLowNone
Availability Impact
HighLowNone

Vulnerability timeline

Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.

  1. CVE reservedCVE Program

    The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.

  2. ADP timelineredhat-SADP

    Made public.

  3. CVE publishedCVE Program

    The CVE record was published.

  4. ADP timelineredhat-SADP

    Reported to Red Hat.

  5. CVE updatedCVE Program

    The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.

ADP provider summaries

CISA-ADPCISA ADP Vulnrichment
other:ssvc
redhat-SADPgithub.com/go-jose/go-jose/v3: github.com/go-jose/go-jose/v4: Go JOSE: Denial of Service via crafted JSON Web Encryption (JWE) object
other:Red Hat severity ratingcvssV3_1
  • 2026-04-06T17:01:34.639Z: Reported to Red Hat.
  • 2026-04-06T16:22:45.353Z: Made public.

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
go-josego-jose>= 4.0.0, < 4.1.4, < 3.0.5Listed
Weakness

CWE details

CWE-131CWE-248

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.

CWE-131 · source CWE mapping

Incorrect Calculation of Buffer Size

Incorrect Calculation of Buffer Size represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.

Open CWE intelligenceSame-CWE CVEs
CWE-248 · source CWE mapping

Uncaught Exception

Uncaught Exception represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.

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